Over the past two decades Robert and Cortney Novogratz have build an empire. The couple have taken the design world by storm, launching high-profile renovation projects, celebrated product lines, and helming two reality TV shows. Now, the duo is reflecting on those years and how they’ve grown in the new book, The Novogratz Chronicles: Lessons Learned from Twenty-Five Years in Buying and Renovating Houses.
Filled with stories and advice, the tome spans their career, beginning with their first renovation project in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood in the ’90s. Also featured is an array of photos detailing how their homes in Los Angeles, Brazil, and the Berkshires were transformed through hard work and a little creativity. Meanwhile, an entire chapter is dedicated to their most recent project: the Pink House in New York. The Greenwich Village townhouse was originally built in 1826, but at some point was given a facelift with bright pink stucco—which is how the home got its affectionate name.
Unfortunately, the Novogratz’s quickly discovered the exterior was landmarked. This became an issue when they wanted to give it a fresh coat of paint—pink, sadly, was not an authentic shade for a 19th century building. Despite support from their neighbors, the couple ultimately asked the New York City Landmarks Conservancy to tell them which color would be appropriate (and therefore, approved). Luckily Robert and Cortney were free to restore the interior as they wished, and the final project is equal parts cozy and novel, with bold pops of color and surprising wall paper choices.
See more of their creative oeuvre in The Novogratz Chronicles when it comes out in October.
The Novogratz Chronicles: Lessons Learned from Twenty-Five Years of Buying and Renovating Houses by Robert and Cortney Novogratz (Chronicle Books/PA Press) is available October 22.