This week we worked on an apartment in Hoboken, New Jersey for two young guys in their first “real” apartment after college. We wanted to give them something both youthful and sophisticated.
The apartment was pretty much a blank slate before we got our hands on it. The first thing we did was go wild with paint. Paint offers so many amazing alternatives—let your imagination be your guide! For a playful twist, we decided to paint diagonal stripes in Casa Blue and Surfboard Yellow from our new paint line with Stark. Next, we decided to lacquer the piano in high gloss white to make it really pop against the stripes, hung colorful lights and vintage sign letters to spell out LUNCH on their kitchen wall. This seemed like an appropriate word for two boys!
Michael DeFeo, a super-talented artist, created some really fun paintings of different animals. Overall, we really made a bold statement in this place by playing with paint in unexpected ways.
This show, Hoboken Bachelor Pad illustrates the horrible designs these two untrained people come up with. This apartment looks awful. Looks like a college student decorated it & that's not good! Also, BABY BLUE again! Horrible color choice. The Novogratz's are the king & queen of TACKY! Please do us all a favor and take them off HGTV. Their bad taste is intolerable. Seriously that apartment looked much better before they thought they redecorated it. Also, they look bad as hosts. Mrs. N. has awful hair & needs someone to make her over. Mr. N. always looks sloppy as well. It feels like middle aged hippies who think they can decorate made into a show. Please don't renew their contract. There are too many good shows on HGTV to watch this trash.
ouch
I agree!! Watching this episode made me angry – it was a waste of my valuable t.v. time. There was nothing attractive about this room or any of the other designs created by this couple. Nothing against them personally, but the show has got to go!
I agree! I thought it was completely disgusting! Who would want Lunch written on their wall! I'm only 26, so I'm in the age range they were designing for and I don't think there was one thing I liked. The animals pictures were gross. I hated it and Mr. N is extremely annoying and gross! They need to get rid of them on HGTV!
I totally agree with you. Cortney's voice is so whiney and they seem to have one design they use over and over. They use blown up photos and lights of multiple heights in almost all their "designs. They are big at self promotion and I bet they came to HGTV and pitched the show. They need to go bye bye!
agree!!!! most annoying couple and worst design ever! Please HGTV take this off.
I don't like the flat couch that already had to have a pad of carpet to make it so -so. But the paint was great and the piano was cool,the artist rocked. I loved the bar ! My son would love to crash there too so it was a well done place.
P.S. are those coffee tables for hobbits?
I would love to know what all their kids are named, seems like they have unusual names. I think Robert's choice of the bar was awesome! I also liked the large dining table and chairs and the green lighting. I liked the paint color after the artist's art was hung up,then it was awesome!
one piece of the art would have been ok for this guys pad, but several just looked like a daycare center for adults. Bad!
Their names & & inspiration: http://www.bravotv.com/9-by-design/blogs/robert-n…
This was the first time I watched the show. Yes it will be my last. I had to come online to see if it was just this one design that was so bad or what. Apparently not! These rooms looked like the before, not after! Does the word scale mean nothing? Candace Olsen must be having a heart attack. Come on HGTV, seriously!
this was the worst decor ever styrafoam animal head you need to go home and take care of your kids
Once again, weird furniture selection. that couches look incredibly cheap. $1,200? R u kidding me? On top of that are sad pillows. The way the pillows are presented is awful? Don't they understand the so called "designer touch"? Look at how they stack the pillows together….just awful like the model beds on previous episode.
The lamp was cool but too small. These people don't understand scale and proportion, just like their past episodes. Color choice ….baby blue for bachelors? What an idiot idea!!! The bar = tacky and doesn't with cool modern stools.
I have enough with them. Holy jesus.
Hey, did anybody catch the name of shop were they got the couch, looked like great source for mid-cenurt mod items.
whats the name of the theme song for this show… is it a real song?
I read it's by Duchess of York band.
I agree with so many of these posts about these horrific rooms these people " create"!!!!! What is HGTV thinking? What a waste of network time! I keep giving the show a chance, hoping to see anything redeeming in their choices, but it all looks like garbage! Next time this show comes on, I will switch channels to avoid getting sick! It all clashes in color & scale, it all looks as if they went around the neighborhood picking up free stuff which people left out for trash pick up! Please take this atrocity off the air!
That's exactly right — it reminds me of a young couple I once knew who were forced to put their home together by donated odds and ends furnishings from family and friends. I just don't understand how they have a show. And HGTV doesn't seem to be listening to us — it just ordered 13 new episodes of this show for 2012. Unbelievable!
Enough with the words on the wall. Every show. Really. When I saw the photo I thought they had made over a restaurant. No, a bachelor pad. Horrible.
How boring life would be if we all thought the same! The Novogratz say in the beginning they “think outside the box” …if you can’t handle that….don’t! There are always some parts of every room that I love, and some not my style. But I learn, and take away info to apply to my life. I am definitely more open to color now, and have enjoyed adding that to my house! There are some (who I also like), but the rooms always look the same. With the Novogratz ….I can’t wait to see what’s next!!!
this was the first room design I REALLY REALLY STRONGLY DISLIKE. I knownthey can do better. Maybethier producer need to talk with them.
I am glad that all of you took the time to post, as did I so that hopefully someone at HGTV is reading these blogs & they cancel this awful show. Agreed, these people need to get a real job. Design is not their calling. It is painful to watch. Yck! HGTV, TAKE THIS SHOW OFF THE AIR & SEND THE NOVAGRATZ'S HOME TO THEIR KIDS. OLD HIPPIE DESIGN IS GROSS!
The Novogratz's call themselves "Designers"? I hope the two bachelors in Hoboken, NJ get their $8000.00 dollars back because they were robbed. I kept watching the show thinking that any minute someone would come on and say "just kidding". HGTV, it is a sad day in the interior design world when you try to pass this off as design. It is not. Please remove that show from your schedule.
I agree with all the negative comments on this couple. It must be hard (!) to design (word used loosely) something sooo ugly. I feel so sorry for these guys – hopefully, their girl friends or mothers or even blind friends will help them out by throwing this junk out and doing it right. I've seen their prior shows and each one is a complete disaster – can't believe they are even being paid for this. PLEASE HGTV dump these people.
This episode seemed to be the culmination of everything that’s wrong with the design on this show: The teal walls and “sick” diagonal stripes were a terrible choice for two young single guys. The hodgepodge of vintage furniture, including cracked dirty-looking plastic chairs at the dining table and mismatched stools at the bar, in no way reflected the polish of the “Mad Men” look that they referenced several times while shopping.
I had problems with so many things in the design overall, but the wrinkled black curtains – BLACK CURTAINS! IN A LIVING ROOM! – and drab monotone cushions on the sofas made me angry. Fabrics are such a key part of design but they weren’t spotlighted or addressed. And why would two guys need a bookcase or end tables or any kind of storage or organizational piece of any kind? If the lack is due to budget, they should rethink the costs of the overpriced original art and vintage furniture.
Yes, I keep wondering why they seem to be doing commercials for certain local artists by ordering high-end art and skimping on comfortable furnishings. Unless that art is donated in exchange for the publicity, it makes no sense. Other designers, like Casey on Design On A Dime, will make homemade art and spend the money elsewhere in more practical ways. Too often the Novogratz put expensive art on the walls (or expensive designer wallpaper) and then leave ridiculously under-furnished and/or otherwise impractical or uncomfortable rooms.
Whew! I thought it was just me. I have never been able to understand their design concepts and style. Other than the lacquered piano, the remaining design efforts were a waste of time and money. Out of 8000.00, the only thing that was purchased new was the inappropriate artwork (better suited in a public bar). I am all for repurposing and being green but this was ridiculous.
When they had their show, Nine by Design, it was interesting. They are definitely more contemporary, modern then the other designers currently on HGTV which brings another point of view. That said, I finish watching each episode thinking that the interiors are unfinished. It is as if they ran out of money and due to there inability to be watch their budget, they just finish it and hope their enthusiasm will cover that lack luster design sense.
This episode illustrates it perfectly. From the girly blue color, the barren walls with only one artist represented to the hodge-podge of mismatched pieces, the room lacks focus and makes it look like the Novogratzs ran out of money and could not finish. Is this from their lack of training, their rigid obeisance to their "no rules in design" mentality or simply being ineffectual at designing a room for such a limited budget, they fail to illicit a glowing "oh my god, that is fabulous" response each time.
What might have been an interesting fresh view on design has left me only enthusiastic about how much I loath each of their room designs. The only reason I can see that HGTV would keep them on is simply due to the additional revenue from the ads for those people stopping to watch this train wreck of a show.
Oh. My. Gosh. I believe the Novo-trash couple have hit a new low. Can you see ANYONE crashing on those sofa "cushions" (and I use that word loosely)? Only a cat or small dog would find any comfort in those monstrosities. And as another blog noted – what is with the leg-less coffee tables/flying saucers that landed on that rug. Puh-leeze: HGTV please call it a wrap on this trainwreck.
Some of y'all are really mean. Just because THEIR taste isn't YOUR taste doesn't mean its bad. It means its different. The whole point of the show is for people to think differently about design and see potential in unexpected places. True, I wouldn't put a large drawing of a boar on my wall, but I went right out and bought the Renee Ricard print from the model episode because I fell immediately in love with it. I bought their book, too. Appreciate their aesthetic for what it is, even if its different than yours. Be constructive in your criticism. And if you don't like the show that much, then don't watch it.
Logan..if being honest and puzzled with over-spending and questionable design choices is considered mean-spirited, then I am guilty of that. Bottom line: yes, living and designing in New York City is totally expensive but surely there are other people whose design slant is just as t.v. worthy as the Novogratz's who for some reason have been given carte' blanche for weird/useless room make-overs. =/
Oh please. Don't be such a pretender. They are horrible and shouldn't be called designers. they lack even a small bit of taste. They repeat the same deisgn over and over again. It gets old and doesn't look good.
Thank you Logan! You would think people would have better things to do rather than post super negative, nasty comments on HGTV's website. I agree with you 100 percent….if you don't like the show, don't watch it!
What was the name of the furniture store the green pendant light shade and the blue coffee tables were purchased?
It seems their big claim to fame and the reason they somehow deserve a design show is that they have 7 children. So what. This episode demonstrates that they are amateurs. The first thing you see when you enter the apartment is the stark white door straight ahead in the corner of the living room. Also, one interesting animal head as a conversation piece is great, but four! These two do not know how to edit a room, but they do know how to make a buck, no pun intended.
Too much hype and not enough substance. Take all 9 of them off the air, I don't care how interesting the kid's name are.
when they had their other show on a different network it was about their buying and completely revamping older un-loved buildings in New York. It was very funny and interesting to see the adventures particularly in light of having multiple children to try and accommodate and a constantly pregnant wife who was trying to nest in the strangest of places. They HAVE traveled throughout Europe in the past in search of eclectic and antique pieces, but now that they have a house full of children they are mostly scouring the junk and antique places in cities surrounding New York. However, the thrill is gone for most viewers.
I am not a big fan of this couple. The only episode I think was cool and well laid out is the white loft with tons of windows where they group a bunch of gold pendants together as a chandelier. I thought that one was good. Other than that was hideous. I want them to design a kitchen or remodel a bathroom. So we got to see their real talent or design concept, which is none now after several episodes on air showing their poor decorating eyes.
Is this show for real or is HGTV just yanking all our chains? This was, by far, the most ludicrous design ever. Baby blue for bachelors?! Stupid cartoon animals as art? Holy hell….I would demand my money back if they did this to my apartment.
Are these two trust fund babies or something? Because I cannot begin to fathom how they can afford to live in NYC with this kind of trashy output.
Their attempt to be hip and cool is really lame; and their "design" work is pathetic. Many of us watch HGTV to learn how to improve our homes; we expect to learn from real professionals; and we like to hear why something works and what principles govern their design decisions so we can transfer these principles to our own designs. They are clueless; it's like watching a blind man painting..
OMG horrible. What is HGTV thinking with these two "designer." The apt for these poor guys was terrible with those stupid pictures of the animals. Are you kidding? Enough words on the wall, every artist is their friend and world renowned, who could live in any of these spaces. They should concentrate on selling their own horrible looking house that has been on the market forever. Please, take them off the air!!!
OMG!!!! what a mess. I can't believe this was posted as the after picture. I have never seen anything nice from this husband and wife team. I feel sorry for the guys they have to live in that junk store buys apt.
[...] Photo Credits: Small Image, Rosa Pearson, Large Image, via Susan Hoover‘s Pinterest (no source listed). Bottom Small Image, Rosa Pearson, Large Image, via HGTV. [...]
Ditto, there must be someting better you can put on HGTV!
These two idiots can probably sell the emperor his new clothes. They are jokes. I don't know who's more of a moron, these two country bumpkins or the people who actually let's these complete losers in their homes.
I really think they are amazing with a fresh aesthetic. I continually look for their past designs for ideas. Look at color plays, a modern look is easy with beige/black/white but they always include pops of color and ideas that everyone could incorporate into their homes. Myself and my artist friends (translation: we make a solid living as artists) all enjoy watching what they create. Training does not always give you good taste, someone has to step outside the lines.
Does this design couple have grown children? Sometimes designing for the younger crowd is harder if you have not yet experienced the needs for this age group. I agree those are not hanging out sofa's at all. Lounging in them would not be something any of my adult children would do well with. There are some visual balance issues. I had my 24 year old look at these pictures. He cringed, more than I did. For this age group you definitely need function before design, and design can be worked into function. My 24 year old said "it looks like a play room for my little brothers." He has three younger brothers in grade school. "Not a place you would really want to have your own friends hanging out." Sometimes we designers don't always get it right. Most of us do not have TV cameras following so we can come in later and fix what is not working. Sadly these designers are under greater scrutiny. I still love their energy and quirks.
Looking at those guys faces said it all and I don't think they were to happy or thrilled. I wouldn't be if I spent $8,000 on flea market finds ( carpet under cushions, really) and mediocre artwork. They are not as cool as they think they are.
Who cares if they have 7 kids. What has that got to do with making them qualified to design. They are an insult to your other designers such as Candice Olsen. Candice is the very best designer you have .. she is your super star! The Novogratz's are not worthy of being on HGTV. NO WAY!
Despite all the trashing – here's why I like Novogratz:
I loved 9-by-Design & am very inspired by their style. As an eclectic & somewhat eccentric graphic/fine artist & musician, I find their odd mixes refreshing.
HGTV is full of "matchy-matchy" design that is, though inspiring, just too perfect for my tastes. This family is obviously very Bohemian & not afraid to take risks – love it! BTW, these are the same things I love about Design Star Antonio Ballatore (I miss his show!). They DO have some repeated tricks (light boxes, photo collages) but it all works well in my opinion.
Every art/design era has its rebels who are scorned but eventually embraced – Picasso, DaDa, Warhol, Polluck, David Carson, Shepard Fairey, etc. HGTV, I applaude you for showing something different!