A big, open space in a home is a nice thing, but sometimes it can be hard to divide the space into useful areas. That's exactly the problem Bob and Cortney tackled with their clients on Saturday's Home By Novogratz, and the best part is that we get to see it in Before and After format!
Bob and Cortney also turned the project into a competition where Cortney took on the living room and Bob tackled the kid cove. I'm sure there have to be boys vs. girls themed episodes of the Brady Bunch that I could write an analogy about, but I can only think of the "oh my nose" episode where Greg nailed Marcia in the face with a football.
Stefan, the Hungarian crew member, said he preferred Bob's side, but I think he was just trying to get back at Cortney for all that wallpaper she makes him hang. In the end, both rooms had some very cool elements and both made better use of their respective spaces, so it's hard to say who won, especially considering that Bob used Cortney's idea of blending in the many doors in the kid space with wallpaper and that Bob had some of the kids' art scanned onto canvas and displayed in a light box and then Cortney stole it for the adult side. Ok, it was mutually agreed upon that it belonged in the living room, but still, it was too close to call. The family did love it, however, and nobody accused anybody of sabotage like in the Brady Bunch episode where Greg and Marcia run against each other for student body president. Whew! I remembered one!
(Images: Emilee Ramsier)
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It's a mystery to me why the Novogratz style is so admired. The "before" was pretty awful but the "after" -- well, words just fail me.
Something about this style is off to me. Feels uncomfortable.
Way too busy for me. I like the liquor cabinet though
I cannot get down with the dining area wallpaper that looks straight out of a Dr. Seuss book. Or the wood plank wall (real or wallpaper?). I dig, however, the bright blue walls and the metal barrister bookcase. Overall, like all Novogratz styled rooms, it's a little over the top and loud for my tastes.
Oh I agree. I feel very uncomfortable. And the paneling looks v amateur.
The after is not my style but there is one idea I love here, which is using wallpaper to define that dining area. It makes it really feel almost like a separate room, while still keeping the space open. I could see this being very well executed by someone else. Especially because an L-shaped interior is very common in apartments, and a lot of people are not quite sure how to tackle them.
I always find it strange when people accent with the exact green colour of painter's tape. It makes it look like you forgot to take the paint of the trim.....
I have to admit, I like the "before" picture much better. All the "before" needs is a larger rug and some art to make the passthrough wall come alive. It certainly doesn't need that frighteningly gaudy wallpaper!
Ick. "After" is reminiscent of the decor at a touristy "seaside" restaurant. "Before" was not all that bad. Kind of bland, but some changes to window coverings, rugs and throw pillows would be enough. The re-do didn't change the room layout much at all because it was fine to start with!
I think there is some serious toy decluttering going on in the "after" also. So if those toys were moved to another part of the house, I bet they will be back within a week.
I'm shocked at this. I'm a fan of them and their use of bold colors. I don't like the wall paper, accent chairs and the wood panel. Although I consider this a miss, if I had the resources I would still love to have them as my designers...maybe it looks better in person.
Loved the 'before' so add a turquoise throw to the sofa...but these designers--Novogratz, they like to 'circus' stuff up.
My style is funky/eclectic... but that is a bit much!
Sigh...I have tried and I have tried...but I just DON'T like designs by the Novogratz! I have watched a number of their shows and I really... REALLY tried...but I just don't like what they do!- I have seen better designs from none professionals.
With that being said...That is not the message I wanted to convey to the design of your home....However, there is NOTHING here that makes me say- Yay, wow, this is awesome... ...I am sorry that I used this post to vent...but it had to be said...
The emperor has no clothes?
My first look at this post, there were no comments. Glad I re-visited! I just don't get the Novogratz phenomenon. This makeover gave me the heebie jeebies! Glad to feel some validation here.
I had a huge respect for Novogratz, but it was based on their book. This room, however, is bad. The blue wall paper reminds me of a cheap motel. It is all wrong. I will take the plain canvas of "before" any day over the disaster of "after." Phew....finally...I can speak my mind without thinking about hurting anybody's feelings.
I like their stuff sometimes, but the commenter above who said something seems "off"---that's exactly how i felt. I, too, thought "psych ward padded room" when I saw the kids' room. Though I don't know why.
That said, I really like the actual bright colors that were chosen, just not how they were applied.
I love what they can do.
Well... I'm glad the homeowners were happy with it?
Liked Before. Not After!
Wow! So much negativity. While I do not like the wallpaper in the dinning room I do like the overall after better than the before. I like the colors and the play area is nicer too for the kids. When I saw the before pictures I thought that the window area into the kitchen really needed something to define it better and was glad how the after showed it trimmed in blue. I think if you took out the wallpaper in the dinning room and replaced it with a nice painted color or even a better, less eyesore, wallpaper the space would look really nice. And I can tell that this family really is all about the family and the children.
It really was too plain before. Like someone moved into a rented apartment and threw in their old furniture from college. But something about it now isn't working for me either. I would have gone the warmer route with teals on oak instead of the washed out wood. It's not horrible, but just....not right.
I agree with most everyone, and I too have tried to like the Novogratz style, but can't quite get there (I still will continue trying though). While there always seems to be one or two elements I like, the final reveal just doesn't seem to have the right polish you would expect from a high-end designer. In this particular post, the only thing I might have in my own home is the storage cabinet with all the liquor, or the dining room table. But the collection of it all seems to miss the mark -- feels harsh, tense, cluttered, and cheap. It just doesn't feel like a home that invested good money for a designer. So sorry to the home owners on this one.
Hopefully all the negative comments here get the attention of AT staff. Lately there's been a LOT of Novogratz love and every time I look through it I'm turned off. I don't get their style and it's really nice to know I'm not alone. Love the "Emperor has no clothes" comment - I couldn't agree more! I also really dislike the FAMILY rug - reminds me of the ubiquitous EAT signs, but a rug is more of an investment piece and I can't imagine how many landfills will fill with these rugs sooner rather than later. I'd have looked for a way to open up that wall closing off the kitchen, not covering it in cheezy whatever that stuff is.
Does the rug spell, 'Emily'?
Frankly, I do not like the 'after' at all!
Ah, FAMILY! I see!
I too, like the "before" much more than the after. I agree with Charlotte- Roots and Rafters, the living area needed a larger rug. However, I also think the pass through to the kitchen should have been enlarged. It looks rinky-dink in both photos. Really, this appears to be a nice home, and it just needed minor changes. For example, window treatments for the dining area, a new light fixture above the table, bigger, nicer rugs, etc.
I have to yet see anything by the Novogratz that would impress me. Or, anything that I would like (and I don't think I am difficult to please).
uhg, I would agree with everyone else. I don't mind the electric blue paint, but the rest of it is off. (Though I really dislike the blue on the trim under the wood wall. Others mentioned green painters tape, well I've seen blue painters tape that exact colour and it's use for trim makes me cringe).
I normally also really like wood walls, but incombination with the rest, especially wall paper makes me think of a cheap motel going for a "cottage" feel.
The before was definitely bland, but some really nice paint choices and a natural wood wall, new curtains etc would have done wonders (I would agree with the comment on opening up the kitchen. The back wall of the dining room could have had floor to ceiling shelving/cupboards added on either side of the window if they were concerned about losing storage in the kitchen)
I also agree that it looks like half the toys are missing and it's going to be a disaster shortly after the show was complete and those orange plaid chairs! :P
I also don't get the layout of the furniture. I get that a L shaped room is harder to set up but it seems like having that grey sofa with the back to the other sofa jsut cuts the areas up too much. I think they would have been smarter to create a separate use where the grey soaf is instead of having 2 living room ares within a couple feet of each other.
Might actually have been better had they used the area infront of the stools (grey sofa area) as the dinning area and expanding the kitchen/living room into the dining room alcove. They could have had a ton more counterspace and completely opened up the kitchen to the living and dining room areas. (Or had the living room by the grey sofa/stools, the dining room where the old living room was and used the old dining room to expand the kitchen.
Memo to self: Don't look at any 'after's by them (or anything else). As expected, yuck. Didn't look past first 'after' pic.
I agree about the liquor cabinet. Where can I get one of those glass-door bookshelves?
Havent the Novagratz's run out of family and friends they can "design" for yet?Ghastly,just ghastly.
I agree that the living room/dining room was a little bland before, but somehow in a soothing way. The dining room remodel is way dark and sucks up the natural light. Agree that the wood paneling looks like a blah resort resto.
Less is more, maybe? Because I do like the blue walls behind the couch, and the wall opposite the kitchen bar needed some color. Accents vs. Overhaul. Just 20% of the remodel would have gone a long way.
Does anyone know where that white wood wallpaper is from? That's exactly what I would like for my own dining room...searching, searching...
I'm not into this kind of style. I'm more calm with pieces of furniture that have meaning behind them. I love the bold colors, but not patterns. The Tulip Table and chairs are my favorite.
Wow so many rude folks that need to find the postive instead of focussing on the negative. People pretty much post their personal space on here to show off what they are proud of. Learn to be supportive of their pride, and joy.
Positive: That little red desk is so cute!
Negative: That blue color gives me a headache.....as does pretty much every other choice made in that place.
Yuck! This is some of the worst wall treatments I've seen in a long time. 60's wood paneling has more charm.
Both are unfortunate but the after is more unfortunate imo cause it looks like someone was actually trying :(
Oh man! I like both. But as a designer I have to say part of what makes it fun and innovative is trying different things. Novogratzes do it well. Kudos to them for trying different stuff.
I would never comment "Ick" as I did here if it was a homeowner pictured with a space he/she had lovingly designed. But this space was done by designers and showcased here as part of a PR effort by the designers. And I think they took the family that lives in this house for an awful ride. I'm all for bold use of color, but foremost the space needs to work for the people living there. The original space is clearly inhabited by a loving family -- tons of kids books and toys, high chair in the dining area. How will that family function in the new space where most of the kids' stuff and high chair has been banished, and a huge glass door liquor cabinet installed. I don't care for the colors, furniture and accessories used in this redo, but I'm much more upset at the lack of thought that seemed to go into it.
Used to be a an of the Novogratzs (-es?) when they were on Bravo, but something went wrong on their way to HGTV. And then it went really wrong when they teamed up with CB2. This space of full of CB2's typical garish -and-tacky or bland-and nondescript stuff (both (!) sofas, dining room pendants, kids' chairs, etc.) Previous weeks' spaces were "off," but at least they were original.
I think the husband liked the space, but the wife looked mildy ill at ease.
I don't love everything the Novogratzes do - in this case I don't like the faux wood wallpaper. But I like that their show is different and makes people argue. I got tired of everything on HGTV looking the same.
There is WAY too much going on here. Frankly, it looks cheap and rushed.
I don't even begin to understand the Novogratz phenomenon.
I think... the new arrangement is good, and the actual furniture etc in the rooms are good, but it would be a lot better if almost all the walls were changed to something... less....
This is the first time I've paid attention to a novogratz post. Kind of weird.
I think you said it best....clearly...heebie-jeebies...Ugh!
I dont know whats up lately, but i've been on the 'before' train a lot more than the 'after'. I love before after posts and was excited to see what they did... but when I saw that dining room amoeba/bacteria (?) wallpaper and the old wood accent wall I visibly cringed. Framing out that bar seating area made it seem to shrink to about half its size, and though there are certain aspects of the kids area I like, I agree that the green trim looks like forgotten painters tape. For an area that doesn't have a door to separate it from the other rooms, it is just too bizarre and different looking with that wallpaper and those (polka dot?) doors.
That is one awkward and hard-to-design room. Should there be two living rooms or two dining rooms? I think the area behind the gray stools should be the dining room and the stools should be removed. I have no idea what that area with the wild wallpaper should be. The kids' room is too busy both before and after. I don't think Novogratz can help here, this apartment calls out for the design version of Nanny 911.
Their worst ever. There are SO many amateur designers featured here on AT that are WAY better at designing than these professionals. AT should be proud of that.
Is AT under a contractual obligation to keep posting this crap?
My eyes hurt after looking at the "after" pics for too long. And by "too long" I mean "about 15 seconds" - yikes.
Ugh. Colors are awful, furniture just looks stuffed in there, and what's the deal with the huge liquor cabinet? Planning to open a bar?
The wallpaper in the kids room - the blank frames thing - is BEGGING for the children to create their own art inside those frames. I hope that's what was intended, cuz if not, it's gonna be a mess!
Not to mention that all the "art" will be on the lower third of the walls.
This is just icky in all sorts of ways.
horrible.
actually, I meant to say HORRIBLE!
good grief.
this is an unfortunate floor plan; the "after" just shows the bad side of the end of mcm design and/or the work of people who have no sense of design. a/t readers should view this as what not to do, ever. the writer also is unseasoned, which does not help this post.
If the family is happy with it then I'm happy for them, but I would take the before over the after any day. Even though the before was boring, the after is tacky and looks poorly designed. It's as if the designer had no idea what to do, and decided to use bright colors and patterns as a cheap gimmick.
If I had to spend time in that space, I think I would be addicted to Xanax. I feel overstimulated just looking at the pictures.
The shaggy rug is amazing. The rug that says "Family" well that is just a crime.
So many good pieces yet not tied together so well
I think I'd stream line a solid color to the walls, keep the furniture (keep the shaggy rug) and ditch the zany family rug
Then it'd be almost good
I love the color scheme. The child's room is great. The dining room wall paper is scary, color good/ pattern bad. Wall paper quickly dates a room and has to come down if you ever want to sell.
I realize now that it's good to see a variety of things -- things you like and things you don't -- so you become more conscious of your own tastes. This, not to my taste.
too much going on and bad use of space. why have two seating areas? they could have made the area fronting the bar into a dining area and the other side in that hideous wallpaper could have been a nice office. it needs a make-under now
Looked good before, so I was expecting it to look spectacular after. Ummm, didn't happen. The emperor is naked. Actually, the emperor is wearing Greg Brady's clothes, and he wants them back!
zomg
don't like the before OR after. the after looks like a cartoon.
I love the novogratz! So innovative, so imaginative! I love the way the think outside of the box and pull different elements together. They definitely aren't your basic/bland designers! And it's kind of awful that so many people would knock them for not being their "tastes"... to each his own there is no reason to be so nasty.
Love the color scheme too. And I like the idea of using what the clients had and bringing a fresh perspective. But I also like moderation and restraint. The Novogratz do many things well and that might be the rub--not knowing when enough is enough. Layer upon layer begets hysteria. A question for them might be how to dial it back? Designers have a look they are known for and I would regret if the Novogratz careers were only known for wretched excess when they are multi-talented and innovative.
Seriously, hideous "after". Hideous.