
The Novogratz Family are no strangers to renovations and real estate — Robert and Cortney Novogratz have renovated 11 properties (living in 5 of them). Along with their seven children, they've been well-documented in shelter magazines and their book, Downtown Chic: Designing Your Dream Home From Wreck to Ravishing. The New York Times takes us inside their newest project — a high design family home on the West Side Highway...
You'll see a lot of this family in the future: in addition to the press and media coverage, they've got their new book, they're in the process of filming a Bravo reality series for next year and all nine of them have signed with the Ford modeling agency. Read all about it — Branding the Family. There are tons of pictures in the couple's narrated audio slideshow.
(Image: Michael Weschler for The New York Times)
Comments (32)
"...all nine of them have signed with the Ford modeling agency."
Can't we all relate!
Gorgeous home, though.
Ok...the chair in the bedroom is driving my crazy? Is this wood? Not my style, but it works, and probably somewhat of a challenge to pass through doors!
I love the rug in the first picture.
Oh my goodness! I went to church with the Novogratz family when I was a kid and through high school. Congratulations on your success!
What are they chances I could get these people to adopt me?
This family makes me feel really, really lazy.
Love the art in the living room, especially the painting of the woman in the yellow dress, and the cluster of big glass globe light fixtures.
But that blue ruffly IKEA chair thing...eep.
That baby room is crazy. What do they do for a living? Designers? How do people get the money to do all this? I bet that baby room cost more than my house.
Great place but I feel crazier watching that audio clip.
okay, i NEED that wingback chair. anyone know where i might find something similar?
"The Novogratz Family are no strangers to renovations and real estate..."
However, they are apparently strangers to the concepts of Birth Control and discipline in child-rearing.
Letting the kids play ball and ride bikes in the house? WTF?
I suppose I shouldn't say this but 7 children.....
^ I second that!
Ha. That huge sculptural piece in the bedroom... could it be... a sex chair?
Wow that huge chair thing in the bedroom is doing nothing but taking up valuable space.
The chair in the bedroom is made out of clay. It's by Maarten Baas. I love it, but at over $2,000, it's out of my price range.
"...could it be... a sex chair?"
That explains the 7 kids...
...several of which are playing ball or riding bikes inside the house?
The "blue ruffly IKEA chair thing" is a $10K "art chair" that's been featured on AT before. (People hated it.)
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/how-to/how-to-turn-ikeas-tullsta-chair-into-a-designer-piece-066330
Even all that great furniture wouldn't make me happy about having 7 kids. I hope they have a nanny bedroom somewhere in that house.
The art in the nursery is nice. And appropriate. 7? Glad it is them and not me...
what's wrong with having seven kids, if you take care of them, support and love them? I much prefer people who are educated, creative, artsy etc to have many kids, than people who have kids because they don't know how NOT to have them...
and as to the apt - not really enough to say... the chair in bedroom scares me, but I like the rest. I wish I could see more of it.
$10K on an uglified IKEA chair? They must be rolling in it (especially given they have so many kids).
What the what is that monster in the bedroom?
These people are like, performance artists with their lives. Their reality show looks like it will be tons more entertaining than "Jon and Kate Plus Eight," at least.
I know it's up to people how many children they have - but honestly, if they are spending several thousands on one piece of furniture, they should have stopped after a few kids and not let it get to 7. I can just see that I'm going to be paying for them to be on welfare in a few years.
chrisgal, although i too wouldn't have 7 kids, your suggestion that they'd 'be on welfare in a few years' really made me laugh. how in the world do you foresee that with this family?
anyway, thanks for the chuckle.
abigailbelle - Do you have any idea how much money it takes to raise just one child? The average is $200,000. Do the math - it comes up to 1.4 million dollars for all those children. That isn't including any schooling past high school - the cheapest college near me will cost you about $50,000 for four years (includes dorm), so for seven children that would be 350k - and that's only to get a bachelor's degree. We're up to 1.75 million now.
That doesn't include living expenses, insurance, life insurance, any bills the parents may have, etc. So that easily could become over 2 million and probably more like 2.5.
So yeah it's a damn good estimate they may end up on welfare. Look around the world right now - jobs are slacking, the economy sucks, and prices of everything goes up with inflation.
Welfare? I can't imagine it. According to what I've read in Vanity Fair and the Village Voice, I believe the husband is from a very wealthy family with both hedge fund and philanthropic interests.
As for the seven children --to each his own -- but no, I can't imagine it -- even if money were no object.
I thought their book sounded interesting, but after finding them on Twitter and reading some of what is written there, I've decided to keep my money.
Can anyone identify any of the artists for the art on their walls? They have an excellent eye.
nope, chrisgal, still not buying it.
You don't have to abigailbelle - but I am an accountant for a living. Math is my specialty - so when I say that ship will sink you can bet it will.
Hey abigaibelle,
I got to agree with you on this one too. No one can foresee the future. Who knows, maybe they all have trust funds or they might not depend on their parent and get a student loan... we don't know all the possiblities.
-But beautiful interior to the home owner by the way.
Does anyone know how the photograph in the background of the first photo is displayed? I don't see a frame around the photo . . . .