The Hills Are Alive

Cupid should be congratulated. Cortney and Robert Novogratz couldn’t be a more perfect match. They both hail from large families, and they both love good design. Luckily, each of them also has an energy level that defies gravity. As parents of seven children (including two sets of twins) and the force behind one of the country’s hottest firms, Sixx Design—the company they named for their brood—this high-profile mom and dad barely have time to catch their breath. (Though they only recently welcomed the birth of their seventh child, they’re sticking with the name “Sixx Design.”)

It all began with a derelict building in Manhattan, which the Novogratzes purchased, revamped and quickly sold. Their talent for transforming forlorn properties into fabulous nests was obviously too keen to put aside. The dynamite duo soon became urban fairy godmothers, searching out more crumbling structures to rescue, and they haven’t looked back since. Today, they tackle all sorts of projects around the world, publications clamor for interviews, and next year Rizzoli just published their first book on design, Downtown Chic.

It’s a hectic life, and the family needs a break once in a while. With that in mind, on holidays, vacations and the occasional weekend, the tribe heads for the Berkshires and the peaceful town of South Egremont, Massachusetts. There, amid the towering maples in a pastoral setting made for bonding, sits the house they love “best of all,” says Robert. Their hip Manhattan brownstone (another of their skillful renovations) may have a domed basketball court on top, and their Brazilian casa comes with tropical weather, but this two-story circa-1930 white house with its sunny yellow shutters is home.

ARCHITECTURE
Cortney and Robert Novogratz, Sixx Design
INTERIOR DESIGN
Cortney and Robert Novogratz, Sixx Design
PRODUCED BY
Stacy Kunstel