Season 1

 

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Robert Novogratz

Make It Your Own

Bob tells you his flea market picks and the story behind all the kids' names!

Apr 13, 2010

At close to 9 months pregnant, she decided to go to the Brooklyn flea market to find some cool pieces for the new pad...her philosophy is that no matter how long you are in a space, really make it your own. (Some of our favorite flea markets are the Brooklyn flea market, the rose bowl flea in Pasadena CA, the flea market in Nice, France, the Brimfield antique show in Mass, and some of the shops in Hudson, NY). During all of this we still had to complete our new home in lower Manhattan. Building is the most difficult thing that we do, more specifically, dealing with permits, codes, neighbors, contractors etc…not to mention the economy was getting worse every day. The one great part of our careers is getting to meet and work with creative and talented designers/artist etc. For the new building we decided to have artist/industrial designer Richard Woods incorporate beautifully painted boards on the facade of the house. This was one of the highlights of the entire process. Getting the boards up in one day was quite the task, but the end result was amazing and totally worth it. The episode wraps up as we are driving to the hospital, about to have our 7th child, and trying to think of names…we put a lot of thought into their names…

OUR SIXX KIDS NAMES...

1. Wolfgang (12) – named after Wolfgang Mozart (Novogratz is Austrian, as is Mozart)

2. Bellamy (11) – French name, meaning beautiful friend

3. Tallulah (11) – Cortney is from Georgia, very southern name, ie. Tallulah Bankhead

4. Breaker (9) – named after Harry Breaker Morant from the Australian movie Breaker Morant. He was a scholar, a poet, an opera singer, a soldier, and the best horseman in all of Australia (he broke all of the wild horses)

5. Five (4) - He was obviously our fifth child…

6. Holleder (4) – named after Don Holleder, an All American quarterback at West Point. He was killed in Vietnam in a very heroic act of saving his own men. He was loved by my Pops and all that new him. His guys nicknamed him Holly, and we did as well.

7. You’ll have to watch next week’s episode to find out…

CORTNEY WILL BE BLOGGING NEXT WEEK…!

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I LOVE IT!!!! I am so insipired by your design esthetic! and your family is great!! So impressed and excited for this season. So many wonderful ideas for our next home!! PS. the kids names are unique and so meaningful, really great!

your family is awesome and i really love your ideas on decor but why the hell didn't you help your pregnant wife across the ice? wtf dude!

Love your style, your design sense, your family... C’est fabuleux!

Love love love your show! OMG the two of you are amazingly talented. Your kids are beautiful. Can't wait for the next episode.

I love this family. Non pretentious, down to earth and very NW (where I'm from) even though they're New Yorkers. I'm the youngest of 13 kids and the daughter of a carpenter/construction worker, so this feels like watching home movies! I will be staying tuned and can't wait to find out the next baby's name!

Dear 9byDesign, Your family is such a breath of fresh air to reality TV. Please, if you guys become "huge", don't let it change who you are! I think your philosophy on family and life and building homes is fantastic and whimsical. Being an army wife we also deal with change and moving a lot, however, I am not your easy going type of person. I am a high strung, ocd "neatfreak", who can sometimes drive my husband crazy... lol. But I am learning to not sweat the small stuff and go with the flow of life. It's not easy for someone like me, but when I watch your family it gives me inspiration. So THANK YOU for you being yourselves and living the whimsical "gypsy" life as you put it. ;-) BTW Your kids' names are awesome!! XOXO!!

I was inspired by this show. I enjoyed watching intelligent children who are enjoying their lives, their mother was awesome. She did not let her difficult circumstances get her down. I loved what she did with the 2-bedroom apartment. Fabulous show!! Look forward to this season and what unique design ideas Courtney and Bob come up with.

omg! i totally loved your show! you are such a beautiful down to earth family, and i got amazed of how well you and your wife get along, you're so calm and you seem to get throught things very well. thanks so much for doing the reality, TV needs more people and shows like your, i love what you do and how you said you started out without money makes you think that wow, dreams are possible :) congratulations and i'll keep watching the show!

FINALLY. Something worth to watch. Love the show. Love the kids. It's a Joy to watch family that are real, loving, fun and all the way BEAUTIFULL.

Thank you so much.

Love your family....love the show....your wife is great....best of luck....In South Jersey there is a salvage yard called the forgotten room right up your alley it has unbelievable finds from all over the USA for great prices It is worth the trip if you keep going you can take the kids for a weekend to LBI (they would love it) stay at Hotel called Daddy O's. It's close to they beach with pool etc.

What a great show! Very inspiring. All parents must watch it! Hope for many more seasons.

I was totally prepared to not like this show since as a degreed degin professional the "self-taught" designers tend to rub me the wrong way. However, I quickly abandoned my preconceived notions and found this couple and their kids to be very likeable and endearing. By adopting their creative and hectic lifestyle, I think their kids will learn great things in life-- calculated risks are worth taking; flexibility is important and follow your passion. I have my DVR set to record all the new episodes and look forward to seeing more from this talented design team. Bravo, Bravo!

Wow- I have got to say that I love this show. What I appreciate most is the way you and your wife relate/raise and interact with your kids! Your wife is absolutley beautiful!!!

The glass enclosure on that rooftop basketball court was GORGEOUS! I am a renovation and interior design junkie and loved watching the show...you are a really creative couple.

Finally, something to love at Bravo besides Top Chef. Brilliant.

I LOVE this show! I love all the bravo shows but when I watch 9 by design I don't feel drained from the fights or negativity, you guys are an amazing family. 1 in a million!

One show down, and I'm already addicted. You guys are great!

I loved the first episode. And it is nice to hear some original names! I love unusal names too, named my daughter Mahaby (Ma-hay-bee) which is an old family name. I love how down to earth you guys are, Great show!

Bob and Cortney, you two are brilliant! If I had 1/10 of your talent in my little finger, I would be ecstatic. You are a great team and your children are wonderful, smart, funny and happy.

The show is fantastic and very entertaining. I was so not ready for the first episode to be over. Thank you for sacrificing your personal lives and time to share it with us viewers.

I look forward to the upcoming episodes. Congratulations on the new baby!

I love your family. You are quite likable and real, "Mr. I am looking at a house right now". These are the omissions that real relationships have all the time and when you are committed to each other you just keep going. Great philosophy to life and work. I find you inspiring me to redecorate my home and start hunting for more flea market bargains! I hope your family always has as much love for each other as was shown last night. For truly money does not buy taste or love.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE your family!!!!! What a great show....finally, a reality show that doesn't have a bunch of mean girls stabbing each other in the back!!!!!

I loved this show!!!! Their talent is crazy, stunning and amazing. I love the fact that they have the kids participate in finding stuff for their homes-and that they get quizzed where the pieces were purchased. It's without a doubt a very loving home and the creativity that flows will result in some very talented kids growing up to contribute even more spectacular things along with their parents. Keep up the wonderful work....your homes are drop dead gorgeous….and your family is beautiful!

I was looking forward to your first show and it did not disappoint. Looking forward to the whole season... Love, love ,love it ...

Take Care, Suzie :)

I love your family and your deisgn sense-you guys are awesome! My husband and I just bought our first house and we're excited and inspired to decorate it! Thanks for giving us the freedom to be fearless!

Just call me "Seven" since I was the seventh child in my family ;) I really enjoyed the happy chaos in your home, because it really brings back memories of growing up. With that said, I am most impressed by the calm way in which your children interact with one another - from the gentleness of your oldest telling his younger brother to "just let it go" to the girls and Breaker negotiating the top bunk. They are most certainly a reflection of the grounded, attentive way in which you both parent. As for the creativity - absolutely joyous. What a wonderful family :)

Love this show-really refreshing. In fact I just plain love Bravo!!!

I loved your show. You guys really have talent...wonderful family. There is a balance most people only dream of...congrats on the success of the first show and looking forward to seeing more.

I love, love, love this show!! Can't wait to see more!!

The show is so great. What a breath of fresh air!

Congrats for the show!!! I'm addicted. Your kids get along so well and don't act like spoiled brats like many kids on other bravo shows. I love your design taste and parenting skills. You guys are The Coolest Family on TV from the family business to the parenting philosophy to the unique sense of style. I hope there will be many seasons to come.

Wow - you all really thrive on chaos, and I do mean thrive! Your kids are adorable, your homes are fabulous, and I wish I had the money to turn Cortney loose on my place, LOL. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the season unfolds. Thanks for sharing your family with us.

Wow. I was "unlucky" enough to be home sick today, but lucky enough to find this show. Love it. Love the style, the kids are adorable and very interesting.......good luck with the success of the show! My DVR is ready and waiting.

I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!! YOUR WIFE IS A VERY STRONG WIFE, MOTHER, WOMAN. ...ALL THOSE BABIES, GOD BLESS YOU ALL. YOU HAVE YOUR OWN TRIBE!!!I LOVE IT.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this show!!! Great edition to the Bravo line up. Looking forward to next week. Boy or Girl??? I say girl :)

I echo many others, I Love, Love, Love this show. I can't wait to see more of the homes you renovate. Love the chaos. Your kids are awesome.

Finally! A group of people on a Bravo show that I can relate to and actually care about what happens to them. It's also nice to see someone on TV that shares my views...on childrearing, esthetics, lifestyle, and architecture. I wish you luck! -- Lisa, Kansas City

Such a great family and to have a talent for what you do, you truly have a blessing.

LOVED your show and look forward to coming episodes!

Love, Love, Love you guys!!!! You are an amazing and REAL family!!!!

Wow - I am so happy to have seen your show. I know everyone has told you how much they lvoe your show but you truly inspired me today. THe way your family is, paired with your passion for desing and hard work is an example in parenthood and business. I wish you all the best and so look forward to more episodes.

Absolutely loved the show. Unconventional to say the least, but with having six of my own kids, you do learn to roll with it. Keep rockin'

Absolutely loved the show. Unconventional to say the least, but with having six of my own kids, you do learn to roll with it. Keep rockin'

This is such a breath of fresh air , watched for the first time tonight ,never saw preveiws what a wonderful surprise channel surfing ,the name 9 Design caught my attention ,I love the entire show ,wonderful family ,a risk I thank you for taking ,I look so forward to many more episodes to follow ,YOUR FAMILY ROCKS !!!

Please tell me about the fabric used in your draperies in the 5 story house in first episode. I love the fabric with the white background and the navy geometric pattern. Who makes that fabric?

Thanks! Love your show.

I'm a Bravo fanatic...but this show was BORING!!

I'm an artsy person from b'ham, Ala. Initially, I was just watching your show, because I heard you had done Suzanne Vega's place, but soon, I noticed a hint of a Southern accent and looked up your bios, and saw you are from GA.

I already was blown that there was a tv show about artsy people, like me, and my friends. (MY people.) People who have good taste, and can dress. Now, I'm blown away again that you are from the South. Seeing as how artsy people from here, tend to be a rare occurance.

Then, on top of this, I think your kids are adorable. Beautiful, darling, sweet and cute as the dickens!

I think you and your wife are very gentle, loving, accepting, and positive towards your kids. They are lucky to have you as parents!! Even though I'm 42, I wish ya'll could be my parents.

And, I love how you let your kids, be kids, and don't major on the minors. And, You are not overly controlling of them. And, I like how you lead them with abounding positive statements and attitude, not all negative ones.

My comment, on the moving kids around a lot, is: As long as you and their siblings are all there, where the love is, THAT'S the part that matters, not a change of location!!!

Love this show! Your love of NY, taste, and wild abandonment is fantastic. Your kids are adorable! I can't wait to see next week!

would you and your wife consider moving to cleveland hts ohio we need your help with hundred of houses that need to be renovated working people with families need affordable housing we have good school systems and we need people that can make an house into an home with simple ideas but creative.

Excellent show! I'm looking forward to seeing what ideas you guys show for your houses. You certainly know how to make a complete dump (the rental) look like a million dollars. You guys show no fear...wonderful!

Courtney is an absolute babe and a gem of a woman. Keep her happy my good man. Cheers and best wishes to you guys.

You know, I don't get it. So you have 6 or 7 kids (by default). Good for you. So do lots of other people. How does his constitute a reality show? Enjoy your moment. The least interesting Bravo show yet.