Sixx Design

Rue Magazine issue five hits virtual newsstands on Monday, May 23, and I am pleased to share an exclusive sneak peek with you! Featured in the upcoming issue is a budget-friendly project from design and developer duo Robert and Cortney Novogratz, of 9 by Design fame. Their firm Sixx Design was hired by a young couple just starting their lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and you'll see the evolution of this project on their upcoming HGTV show, Home by Novogratz, which premieres this Summer.

I love how they've given what seems like a cookie-cutter modern kitchen (with gorgeous zebrawood cabinets) a much more lived-in and historical look with vintage furnishings. The colorful, worn, industrial metal stools and bar cart juxtapose beautifully with the shiny new modern appliances, and the delicate, crystal chandelier lends a feminine style to the masculine interior.

The deity artwork above this white cabinet has an eccentric, thrifted look that's quintessential to the Novogratz style; I can just imagine them unearthing it in a Manhattan flea market. The only thing that puzzles me is this mauve appliance — is that a bread box? I guess we'll find out when the issue goes live on Monday! Can't wait to flip through the whole magazine!

Photos by Emily Anderson and Matthew Williams

Few parents know how to keep a home high on design like Bob and Cortney Novogratz! The stylish couple just announced that they will be moving their 9 by Design brood from Bravo to HGTV with a new series called, Home by Novogratz. The 30-minute episodes have already begun filming and will air this Summer.

According to the release, the designers will "take on residential design projects — customizing eclectic finds, turning trash to treasure, and mixing colors and textures in innovative ways" on the show. And, the seven Novogratz children — Wolfgang (Wolfie), 13, Tallulah and Bellamy, 12, Breaker, 9, Five and Holleder (Holly), 5, and Major, 2 — will also make an appearance.

No one knows how to keep a home more kid-friendly and high on design than Bob and Cortney Novogratz! This month the stylish couple will be creating two adult tablescapes exclusively for CasaSugar and they enlisted their seven children — Wolfgang (Wolfie), 13, Tallulah and Bellamy, 12, Breaker, 9, Five and Holleder (Holly), 5, and Major, 20 months old — to inspire two children's tables for us! Their second candy-inspired design is below so pull up a high chair, grab a BPA-free plastic tumbler, and translate the Novogratz family's ideas into your own holiday table!

LilSugar: What was your inspiration?
The Novogratz Family: This table had a "sweets" theme going on. We took inspiration from all of the bright, bold colors of the mini cupcakes, which were all of the kids’ favorite treat.

LS: What is your favorite thing you added to your table?
The Novogratz Family: The 3-tiered antique silver serving piece with all of the mini cupcakes making it look even more festive.

LS: What about this table makes kids want to sit still during dinner?
The Novogratz Family: It features something they are dying for, the cupcakes, and it looks like a lot of fun, and our kids, or any kids, will be into that!

LS: Is a food fight ever appropriate?
The Novogratz Family: It's definitely a mother's nightmare, but it could turn out to be spontaneous and a fun moment that turns out to be one of her fondest memories. You never know!

Remember to check back next week for the second of Novogratz's holiday kids' tables (and Casa for the adult designs). At the end of month, we will round up both tot tablescapes (plus some of Lil' owns table designs) for a chance to win $1,000 to HomeGoods!

No one knows how to keep a home more kid-friendly and high on design than Bob and Cortney Novogratz! This month the stylish couple will be creating two adult tablescapes exclusively for CasaSugar and they enlisted their seven children — Wolfgang (Wolfie), 13, Tallulah and Bellamy, 12, Breaker, 9, Five and Holleder (Holly), 5, and Major, 20 months old — to inspire two children's tables for us! Their first colorful design is below so pull up a high chair, grab a BPA-free plastic tumbler, and translate The Novogratz family's ideas into your own holiday table!

LilSugar: What was your inspiration?
The Novogratz Family: Kids love a colorful table. Fun and funny, too. It makes eating more entertaining for them, and for us.

LS: Why did you select these specific products?
The Novogratz Family: Everything is impossible to break! That is always the most important thing with the kids’ table! And we try to have an element that will capture their interest, like plates with pictures of fish on them.

LS: What is your favorite thing you added to your table?
The Novogratz Family: The glass vase filled with goldfish. Keeping the theme going!

LS: What about this table makes kids want to sit still during dinner?
The Novogratz Family: We went for fruit soda in a cool color. It was something new we discovered, so with all the elements that will capture their attention, they are bound to sit still for a longer period of time! Which is nice for all of us.

Remember to check back next week for the second of the Novogratz's holiday kids' tables (and Casa for the adult designs!). At the end of month, we will round up both tot tablescapes (plus some of our very own inspirations!) for a chance to win $1,000 to HomeGoods!

We're big fans of SIXX Design here at CasaSugar, so when the Novogratz family agreed to style two adult tables and two kids' tables for the holiday season, we were absolutely thrilled! The Novogratzes are also creating tablescapes for LilSugar, so check out the kids' table as well.  And that's not all – at the end of month we will round up both tablescapes and some of our very own designs for a chance to win $1,000 to HomeGoods! Here's their first table for the grown-ups.

CasaSugar:  What was your inspiration?

Cortney Novogratz: The beautiful, warm colors of Fall, and the sparkle of the sun that time of year.

CS: Why did you select these specific products?

CN: With a big family, we need everything on our table to be durable and fun. We use blue and white china because it is classic and elegant. Then we bring in other bright pops of color to give the table a little whimsy.

CS: What product do you feel completes the look?

CN: A good bottle of wine and a bottle of champagne. Both make the table and the eating experience festive!

CS: What was the most outrageous element you added to a tablescape for a dinner party?

CN: We had a faux pig with an apple in its mouth! Very dramatic!

Love the look of this table? While the dyed birch branch candle holder is specially made from Johnhoushmand, you can get the look with these products:

Take a closer look at the table!

SIXX Design power couple Bob and Cortney Novogratz turned a New Jersey classroom into a work of art. The parents of seven partnered with Bounty Paper Towels/Procter & Gamble to give JFK Elementary School's art room a $25,000 makeover and inspire students. I had a chance to chat with Bob via phone yesterday.

LilSugar: Waiting For "Superman" is making headlines and with the public school system where it is, there are constantly budget cuts. When the basics aren't being met, art is the first thing to go. How do you feel about that?

Bob Novogratz: I think it's ridiculous. If you look at America and most of the world since World War II, we don't make things like we used to. We don't manufacture things like we used to yet education stayed the same here. All the jobs being created in 2010 are technology and design. In my opinion we should be doubling or tripling up on design and technology and cutting back on stuff you really don't need. It makes no sense to me whatsoever.

LS: What would you cut out?

BN: You could cut out a lot of things, but they used to say when we were kids — you need algebra, but maybe you didn't need algebra. Being a parent of seven, I see a lot of education both in the public and in private. I think kids need to be more creative. Language skills are more important. I think technology — look at the leaders of the 20s, the Fords and the industrialists — and the leaders of our age are Facebook guys and Twitter guys. Go to the tech conference and see who's changing the world. Why is education staying the same? It's pretty sad.

To see Novogratz's tips for how a teacher or the parent can makeover a classroom on their own dime and to view the before and after shots of the SIXX Design makeover, read more

Robert and Cortney Novogratz of Sixx Design are known for their stunning remodels, but the husband and wife team also put some time into coming up with unique names for their children. Each of the couple's seven kids — Wolfgang (Wolfie), 12, Tallulah and Bellamy, 10, Breaker, 8, Five and Holleder (Holly), 4, and Major, 1, has a cool personality to complement their name. CasaSugar first told us about this fun family and now we can't get enough of their Bravo show — which gives viewers a peek inside how the parents creatively balance their business and party of nine. Which name is your favorite and why?

Photo courtesy of Bravo