Design Happens

Hi everyone. Filming Home by Novogratz has been so much fun. Every episode we shoot allows us to meet new interesting people and work our vintage/modern, high/low, “no rules” design magic on their places. Instant makeovers can be stressful, but the energy and spirit of our fabulous crew and the reactions of psyched homeowners make it all worthwhile. It’s similar to how Robert and I are raising our seven kids — controlled chaos!

Here’s Robert and me with Deborah and Katherine Chen, two amazing sisters and our first clients. They bought an inexpensive house in rough shape in Far Rockaway, New York so they can enjoy weekends at the beach surfing. What do they want? A playful, girly beach pad. Their design inspiration? Betsey Johnson! Taking Deborah and Katherine’s cues, we knew exactly what to do. The staircase is the first thing you see when you enter their house.

We chose to stripe the stairs for a real “wow” factor. (If you’re on a super-tight budget like us, with some colorful paint, you can tackle anything!) We measured the stripes for the stairs using painters tape and decided to go vertical. Three different shades of pink (their favorite color) with one pale blue one, and it looks amazing! The sisters love their new house , and I’m sure they have the most playful staircase in all of Rockaway.

If you haven’t seen the show, when you do, I think you’ll agree that Deborah and Katherine’s home is now light and airy with a cool beachy feel. It’s also packed with spunk and funky touches, like the kitchen renovation with a pink stove and baby blue vintage fridge and their new bedroom featuring Ghost Girl images put there by hand by world-famous graffiti artist Matt Siren.

For next Saturday’s episode on July 23, we head down to the basement for a family playroom perfect for kids and adults. But first, here’s another picture of Deborah and Katherine’s pink surfer chic living room. What do you think? Love the stairs and the pillows? So Betsey.

Tell me in the comments below.