To say that design gurus Bob and Cortney Novogratz get around is like saying Anthony Fauci is merely a doctor.
And this couple has a new book from Rizzoli to prove it.
“We’ve done so many projects – we redid an old castle in L.A., but also a trailer in Montauk, an Airbnb home, and a boutique hotel,” Bob Novogratz says. “We’ve done 11 projects in the last few years – even a starter home.”
Twelve years ago their first Rizzoli book – modest in tone – took off like a rocket. “It was the story of our first house, with self-deprecating humor, like: ‘If we can do it, you can too,’” he says. “It was a bestseller for Rizzoli.”
The new book follows in that one’s footsteps, with a series of approachable projects, both high-budget and low. “We give people permission to take risks and be different, and besides, a lot of our stuff is relevant to people,” he says.
In it, they reach back 25 years, when they were not in the trade and found it hard to get what they needed – when Google and the Internet didn’t exist. But they still left behind some distinct and personal impressions.
“If you do your house, it should be a reflection of who you are – we travel a lot and see as much as we possibly can and we have a point of view,” he says. “We want our homes to be nice, but comfortable.”
Their target market? Homeowners at the high-end level. “It’s for people who like art, design, fashion, and coffee table books,” he says. “As a designer it’s a great calling card for people who don’t know you, and who are seeing your work for the first time.”
Among their fans is India Hicks, who appeared on their Bravo show a few years back, and who wrote the new book’s foreword. “Four or five years ago she and husband came over for dinner, and we got along extremely well,” he says. “We probably talked family and kids more than design.”
That a sign of shared optimism for the future. “We all may have changed in the last few months, but we’ll get back to normal sooner rather than later,” he says.
It’s just that the Novogratz normal will ooze more style than most.
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