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.
(Images: Michael Weschler for The New York Times)
ALSO
• Novo Casa Trancoso by Sixx Design
"...all nine of them have signed with the Ford modeling agency."
Can't we all relate!
Gorgeous home, though.
view kellylc's profile
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!
view Marie-Eve's profile
I love the rug in the first picture.
view rhianna's profile
Oh my goodness! I went to church with the Novogratz family when I was a kid and through high school. Congratulations on your success!
view kdub76's profile
What are they chances I could get these people to adopt me?
view jacksonlalonde's profile
This family makes me feel really, really lazy.
view teeze's profile
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.
view slowdown's profile
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.
view Sunnydark's profile
okay, i NEED that wingback chair. anyone know where i might find something similar?
view hauteferosh's profile
I suppose I shouldn't say this but 7 children.....
view hrhprincessfiona's profile
^ I second that!
view spinsLPs's profile
Ha. That huge sculptural piece in the bedroom... could it be... a sex chair?
view mollymcg's profile
Wow that huge chair thing in the bedroom is doing nothing but taking up valuable space.
view ChrisGal's profile
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.
view kabooth's profile
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
view Cheryl's profile
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.
view baileyb's profile
The art in the nursery is nice. And appropriate. 7? Glad it is them and not me...
view Anet500's profile
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.
view Offtza's profile
$10K on an uglified IKEA chair? They must be rolling in it (especially given they have so many kids).
view slowdown's profile
What the what is that monster in the bedroom?
view ponytailcomplex's profile
Ha. That huge sculptural piece in the bedroom... could it be... a sex chair?
Judging by the number of children, it seems rather likely ;)
I also like to imagine that the caption for the artwork in the nursery is "Why did I have SEVEN children? What was I thinking?"
Okay, all procreation jokes aside, this is a great interior. The giant sex chair is an amazing sculptural statement, and quite reasonable for $2000, considering that you could easily pay that for a comparatively mediocre painting. Elsewhere the balance of minimalism and whimsy provides great life and personality. If you believe that less is more this is definitely a page to bookmark for future inspiration.
view Blandwagon's profile
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.
view MegP's profile
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.
view ChrisGal's profile
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.
view abigailbelle's profile
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.
view ChrisGal's profile
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.
view Photogirl723's profile
Can anyone identify any of the artists for the art on their walls? They have an excellent eye.
view jchan's profile
nope, chrisgal, still not buying it.
view abigailbelle's profile
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.
view ChrisGal's profile
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.
view iqtsarah's profile