The really fun thing about these rooms is how the Novos referenced the historical details of the early 1900s brownstone but tweaked them into something modern and playful. The fireplaces, the woodwork, and the bay windows immediately let you know that these rooms aren't in a mid-century rancher, so Bob and Cortney used tons of funny twists on classics to make the spaces pop.
The boys' room got kelly green toile wallpaper and navy blue toile window treatments, because if you're going to go toile, you may as well go toiles out. And the green print made for an awesome basketball hoop backboard, too.
The girl's room got wallpaper in a classic bird pattern. But Cortney (or maybe it was Major?) picked out two different colors for the wallpaper and hung them in vertical stripes. And the window treatments are granny chic lace with a hilarious pom pom fringe trim. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks pom pom fringe can be hilarious, but on lace? That made me smile. For as many times as I've been to the fabric store, I've never walked out with lace and pom pom fringe in the same bag, but Cortney stepped into Mood and walked out with the funniest window treatments I've ever seen.
And let's not forget the most obvious super cranked up design juxtaposition in the rooms: those beautiful chandeliers backed by ceilings that look like 10 foot long Jolly Ranchers. Shiny and saturated, those ceiling colors are the icing on the cake.
(Images: Matthew Williams)
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fantastic! so much character to these rooms.
One of my favorite Novogratz projects. Brilliant use of toile and wallpaper.
I've yet to see a project by the Novogratzes where I like the whole thing. They always take it just a step to far and make some choice that is garish and out of place (usually the awful art). They seriously need to learn how to edit.
I think the Novogratzes are at their best when they do kids rooms. I love so much about both these rooms but I was really underwhelmed with the portrait artwork. On the other hard I loved the two other framed pieces in the girls room (Mona Lisa and truck). The ceilings, chandeliers and wallpaper were great too.
I like the wallpaper in stripes over the mantel. The blue toile and green toile are just too much together, and then to add zig-zag headboards - way too much.
I hate the look of carpeting in Brooklyn brownstones (and I've lived in many, and been in many more.) It just doesn't look right. Leave the beautiful wood floors, and add a large rug or two. Much better look. These look like they could be flor carpet tiles, so maybe at least they didn't stick all the holes in the edge of the floors that installing wall to wall usually does. But really, I hate the look of carpeting in these brownstone rooms.
Wish there were more -- and bigger -- pictures. There aren't many views of the girl's room, but what I see I love -- the wallpaper applied in stripes, and the (Murano?) chandelier.
Would LOVE to actually see the lace curtains with pompoms!!
(Love the Novos)
Two Novogratz projects in quick succession is more than I can take, AT!
And I don't mean that in a good way...
They use flor carpet tiles all the time! I wish they'd just pick some cool rugs once in awhile.
I like the children's rooms--but in general, I think the Novogratzes are far over-rated.
I wish my bedroom was as large as the one in that first pic! Jealous.
Ditto Keeperrox.
I watched the episode and it would have been far more interesting if the audience knew the budget.
They are such neat people...I really want to like their designs. I DO appreciate their out-of-the-box thinking...and I suppose if the homeowners love it, that's all that matters.
Or a step too far. I hate when I find typos in my posts hours later.
Love these designs, look lovely and tidy, but wait till the toys come out to play!!
Why does 1 girl get the huge room and 2 boys in the small room? I guess they have a princess in training .
I get that these rooms are meant to be showcases for a designer, but I was watching this episode with a friend, and we couldn't stop cracking up over how sad those boys were going to be when they requested a "ship" theme, only to be immediately dismissed by the designers in favor of 4 types of toile and a chandelier!
Watching them glue cork to every inch of that hallway was a bit painful- I grew up in a bedroom that had a 70's-style corkboard glued to one wall and not only had it stopped looking good after the first few years, it was impossible to remove when my tastes changed (as they are apt to do when you're 8 years old!) I feel like rule # 1 of designing kids' rooms should be to acknowledge that no matter how much you try to plan for rooms they can grow with, there will always be changes every few years. Would have also been nice to see them address some of the issues in every child's room: storage and organization- these room had a few toys thrown in, but they looked like last-minute props in what had been intended to be a young adult's room.
How dumb is it to put the "blocks" box up high and the stuffed "animals" box on the floor? Good grief.
A little over-gendered for my taste. The boys get a basketball hoop and the girl gets a dress-up box. The episode shows her in the boys' room playing basketball.
I am really not into gendered design but really? Toile for boys who requested a ship design? Really?
Also, I really dislike the clashing cream walls and that white-white bookcase. Should have been painted.
This was my favorite episode of this series yet! Sophisticated use of color and respectful of the tradition of the Park Slope brownstone style.
The best part of this series is hearing about artists. Linda Mason's painting of the children is so exciting!
You're allowed to turn up the colors in "adult" rooms too, by the way -- the people at the paint store will sell you any color you want.
Using two kinds of wallpaper as stripes is a brilliant idea. I wish I could see what it would look like if it were just two colorways of the same pattern (and matching the pattern across strips) instead of two similar but uncoordinated pattern.
It cracks me up when they ask people what they want on these shows like they haven't already decided on the design and ordered all the stuff.
Gorgeous rooms for kids! I'd add some of these design touches to any room. The wallpapers are so fun. I just love seeing children's rooms like this because they have so much fun color and accessories and there's unexpected little fun surprises! Like the chandelier and the chalk boxes.
That art in the pink room?!? Nightmare inducing!
I can't stop looking at that horrid picture in the girl's room!
They are horrible. I can't believe they can make a living. Blech.
Novogratz rooms are usually hit or miss for me, and I really like these. I love the bright ceilings in both rooms, but I don't care for the artwork in the girl's room.
I'd love to see more pictures too. I find it interesting that the shared boys' room appears much smaller than the girl's room.
Have to agree with some posters on this one. The girl's room is not that bad, but the boys'? Oy. My first thought also was why the big room went to one child and the smaller one to two. Sucks that the boys requested something and in turn got toile. I usually like one or two things they do, but as a whole, the rooms end up looking somewhat garish. They need to tone it down one notch.
I can't believe all these people that are busting on these designers. They are totally bold and somehow turn out places that aren't super-juvenile. They have guts. Hot pink freaking ceiling? Hell yes. Shelves for all the kid crap too - Awesome. I love them, their show and pretty much everything they come up with. Very inspiring.
The Novogratz are super adapt at using art. Love that they used LittleCollector pieces from some really big name artists in the kids' spaces.