Home By Novogratz sees husband–and–wife design team, Bob and Cortney Novogratz take on a design or renovation project that will challenge them to come up with a wildly creative and totally original idea that neither they, nor the audience, have seen before.
Each project that they undertake is based on the Novogratz’ key principles: good taste and deep pockets have nothing to do with each other; blending high-end pieces with ready–made materials can add texture and a personality to any project and each of us has a story that can be told through our own designs.
Bob and Cortney will bring their funky, downtown–chic aesthetic, their unpretentious design sensibility and their self–taught style to bear on each and every assignment.
Episode 1 – WENDY WILLIAMS’ BACKSTAGE GETS GLAM
Cortney & Bob meet with talk show host Wendy Williams, who wants to add glitz & glam to her audience holding room. The Novogratz meet with Wendy’s favorite designer Norma Kamali for inspiration and with her blessing decide to go big and bold and add a touch of the unexpected. They bring in artist Camomile Hixon to make a chandelier of glittery high-heeled shoes, which provides a stunning focal point to the room. Cortney & Bob add custom seating, a DJ booth, a photo booth and a movie premiere-style step and repeat wall complete with a cardboard cutout of Wendy. They personalize beautiful pillows with Wendy’s sayings, and brighten up the space with Wendy’s favorite color – pink. Thanks to the Novogratz, Wendy’s audience will step into a party before they’re even on the show
Episode 2 – GRAMERCY GARDEN APARTMENT
Cortney & Bob are off to Gramercy in New York to meet with their client, Emmy Award winning TV producer David Perler. David hired Bob and Cortney to rearrange some walls and make an open floorplan living room/kitchen/dining and now he wants the Novogratz to bring their decorating expertise to his apartment. Bob and his son Breaker source for artwork at Half Gallery and find one-of-a-kind pieces that will add a pop to the space. The Novogratz go to Manhattan shopping mecca ABC Carpet & Home for vintage lighting. Cortney puts an interesting spin on Perler’s bookshelves, color coding them by book to create a unique rainbow pattern. The Novogratz commission artist John Houshmand to create a wooden canopy for the outdoor garden space and he goes above and beyond their expectations, crafting a breathtaking piece.
Episode 3 – PIONEER WOMAN’S GIRL’S BEDROOM
Cortney & Bob travel to Oklahoma with their daughters Tallulah and Bellamy to meet Food Network’s Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond. Ree and her family live on a huge cattle ranch and she wants to transform a drab attic storage room into a unique and girlie bedroom for her teenage daughters, Paige and Alex. The Novogratz hit shops in Downtown Tulsa and Jenks, home of some of Oklahoma’s best vintage shops. Cortney & Bob make a big splash by hanging two double beds from the ceiling along one wall and build out a custom desk/work station along the opposite wall. They go with a bold blue checker pattern carpet tile and then girl up the space with bright pink pillows, blankets and oversized bean bag chairs; but the most important part of Ree’s daughters’ new bedroom is the No Boys Allowed sign declaring the room off limits to brothers Bryce and Todd.
Episode 4 – TONY HAWK’S CHIC BOUTIQUE SKI LODGE
Cortney & Bob head to snowy Mammoth, California where they meet their client, legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk, on the top of a mountain. Tony may be the master of vertical skateboarding, but his ‘70s ski lodge is woefully outdated and in desperate need of the Novogratz touch. The Novogratzes decide to give Tony a chic boutique resort feel and to emphasize family in the design. They remove Tony’s bulky, uninviting furniture and and ask their friends at Poesis Design to create more modern, sleek pieces, including a large dining room table for the whole family to gather around. Above the dining room table, they craft a one-of-a-kind chandelier, comprised of Hawk family photos, and they take a big chance by turning a dull wall into a vintage ski wall. The trickiest design piece ends up becoming the fireplace, which Novogratz’ contractor Warren builds with cut up pieces of lodgepole pine. Tony and his family are blown away by the Novogratz’s work and are excited to spend more time in their new and improved lodge.
Episode 5 – SUZANNE VEGA’S UPPER WEST SIDE LIVING ROOM
Cortney & Bob meet with their friend Grammy-award winner Suzanne Vega and plan a modern redesign to her pre-war two bedroom apartment in the Upper West Side. The Novogratz start by decluttering. They reorganize her massive collection of over three-thousand books, move furniture, and turn her large piano into a signature piece by placing it in the center of the room. They add a modern touch by framing Suzanne’s brother Matthew’s photography in plexiglass and powder coating a chandelier in a bright green color to really make it pop. The Novogratz have their carpenter Tom build a custom bench couch in the corner of Suzanne’s library, and they paint it a vibrant pink in contrast to the vintage upholstery used on the cushions.
Episode 6 – BING’S MIAMI DINNER PARTY
Cortney & Bob travel to Miami, Florida where they meet with Sean Carver and Kirsten Ward from Bing. Sean & Kirsten ask Bob & Cortney to transform an outdoor pool deck into a party space for the upcoming Art Basel Miami festival. The kickoff event with be dinner for fifty VIPs. Cortney & Bob set out to create “Tuscany in Miami.” First they Bob design a huge wooden pergola from which they elegantly drape strings of light, greens and hanging flowers. They take an antique chandelier and place it in the center of the pergola, then off-set it with two vintage lights. They arrange a table for fifty under the pergola and decide to set the tabletop with fifty different antique plates, bringing old-world country charm to this international modern-art festival
Episode 7 – LONG ISLAND BEACH HOUSE BLOWOUT
The Novogratz head to Long Island to oversee the design of a brand new beach house. They have been asked to bring their unique blend of old and new, vintage and modern, natural and manufactured design, to this project – in order to give the house a one of a kind “beach mansion” vibe. They focus their designs on the main floor, where they design a very modern kitchen and living room that is surrounded with locall sourced antiques, reclaimed wood, and industrial finishes. On this project, Bob & Cortney show that high-end design can look spectacular without draining the bank account.
Episode 8 – LONG ISLAND CITY MULTI-FUNCTIONAL LIVING ROOM
Cortney & Bob meet with the Koch family who have a big challenge: to design a multi-use living room, that needs to function as part living room, part dining room, part home office and part playroom for their daughter Samantha. The first step is to create storage by designing a functioning focal wall with custom shelving and cabinets which they organize into three distinct sections: kids toys, entertainment and business. Steve Koch is a big fan of mid-century modern, so Cortney & Bob hook them up with a sleek mid-mod dining room set and keep all the furniture lines clean with a long lean couch and skinny coffee table. To bring the fun into an otherwise sophisticated space, Bob meets with watercolor animation artist Jeff Scher, who creates a personal watercolor based on a family photo of Samantha.
Episode 9 – WILLIAMSBURG COUPLE’S LIVING KITCHEN DINING
Bob & Cortney meet with doctors Shane & Ryan, a busy Brooklyn couple with polar opposite design tastes. Ryan likes natural, homey design, while Shane skews towards all things modern, and both of them are looking for Bob & Cortney to find the perfect natural and modern blend in their loft layout. The bones of the loft remind the Novogratz of their own home so they decide to not touch the walls or the floors, and bring in color through furniture, rugs, art and funky lights. They start their design hunt at the Frayed Knot in Hoboken, where they find ‘60s era vintage furniture and have it reupholstered in a mod fashion. The Novogratz find vintage and modern together in a vintage rug repurposed by Mike Strout, who uses a unique tie-dye method to update oriental rugs. Bob meets with digital photographer Jennifer Szekely who’s known for blowing up photos of miniature items to large-scale art, and he picks out a badminton birdie for above the couch. Cortney & Bob blend modern and vintage lighting, and their signature small design touches to make a truly beautiful natural and modern loft space.
Episode 10 – UPPER WEST SIDE NURSERY AND BOYS’ BEDROOM
Cortney & Bob meet with Karl & Melanie Haller an Upper West-side family with a three-year-old son, Griffin, and a baby boy on the way. The Hallers have a two big projects for the Novogratz: They need a nursery for the new baby and they want Griffin to have very cool big brother room. They also want the nursery to be able function as a guest room, and Griffin’s room to eventually become a shared bedroom. Bob & Cortney create an ultra-modern nursery, with adult furniture, fun art and wallpaper on the ceiling, along with compact day-bed for the grandparents. In Griffin’s room, they went bold and blue and built bunk beds, modern shelving units, a creation station featuring a toy building block lamp from artist Sean Kenney, and something every little boy would love – scary skeleton wallpaper. In the end they transformed two cool rooms that will grow with the Haller’s sons for many years to come.
EPISODE 11 – EAST VILLAGE BACHELOR PAD
The Novogratz’s meet with their friend Dave Cristanti who is currently renting an East Village bachelor pad. Dave’s apartment has become a messy men cave, as evidenced by the unfolded laundry, lumpy futon, and ugly door coverings. The Novogratz need to turn this place around by giving it a Masculine Mod feel. Since Dave is renting, that means no big construction or painting, they have to give him pieces he can take with him when he leaves. Luckily, Dave’s lackluster apartment gives them plenty to do. Bob starts at Mantiques, a vintage store geared towards men, where he meets with “Mad Men” costume designer Janey Bryant. She helps Bob pick out a couple of accent pieces for the room, including a silver sailboat statue with a strong resemblance to Don Draper’s suit. Dave is a huge sports fan, so Bob meets with New York Knicks star player Tyson Chandler, and after shooting a few hoops with him, gets an autographed basketball for the apartment. Dave is a Penn State graduate so Bob and Cortney hang his old sweater in a shadowbox, making it really shine. They complete the masculine mod vibe with a bar, new seating, new lighting, and some grown-up furniture, as well as a unique way to put down rugs.
EPISODE 12 – RED HOOK ULTRA MODERN DUPLEX
Cortney & Bob meet couple Anna Skiba-Crafts and Ben Nathan at their newly renovated, white-box duplex in the Red Hook neighborhood in Brooklyn. Anna and Ben purchased the apartment a year ago and have really struggled to make it feel like a home – and they want the Novos to help them figure it out. Bob & Cortney deck the place out with vintage and industrial lighting, they wrap the bedroom ceiling and walls in beautiful wallpaper and they give the main level form and function with a great blend of antique and modern furniture. For a special touch, they invite Anna and Ben to their home for a photo session with their friend Catherine Hall, who takes a series of unique portraits that Bob & Cortney place in their new dining area and their bedroom.
EPISODE 13 – PARK SLOPE FOURTH FLOOR KIDS LOFT
Cortney & Bob are off to Park Slope, Brooklyn, where they meet the Rorech’s, a hip couple in a classically beautiful four-story walk up. The Rorechs want Cortney & Bob to bring a fancy fun design to two bedrooms for their three children, which can grow and change with them. Bob begins by meeting with world-renowned artist Linda Mason, who paints a portrait of the children, that they themselves help create. They pull together a fun space for the boys, with a basketball hoop, a magnet wall, and even a vintage toile wallpaper that brings a classic touch to their room. In the girl’s room, they paint the ceiling a vibrant pink, which frames the original molding in a unique way, highlighting the age of the space. They also add a beautiful chandelier, carpet tile, and unique art. In the hallway between the two bedrooms, they put up a wall made entirely of corkboard, where the children can hang their art and medals and, eventually, their posters. They bring together a fancy fun style that can grow with the children.