Worlds Best Homes

Design house: Take a tour of this Novogratz-designed Hollywood hills home

Celebrity design duo Cortney and Robert Novogratz completely renovated a striking 7,700 sq foot LA house to create a family home for them and their seven children

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

Known informally as The Novogratz, husband and wife design duo Cortney and Robert Novogratz have designed and developed many unique properties in Manhattan, Los Angeles, and beyond. For over 20 years, the couple has rebuilt entire city blocks from the ground up and transformed them into fabulous spaces.

As well as running a busy design studio that caters to A-list clients and boutique hotels, the couple have written several books, appeared in a number of TV shows and have designed a range of Novogratz furniture and accessories.

Take a tour of the stunning home below and when you're done, check out our page dedicated to the world's best homes for more.

The property

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(Image credit: Novogratz)

Perched on a gated promontory in the foothills behind the illustrious Chateau Marmont Hotel, and radically updated by the design duo, the stylishly unconventional 1920s villa presides over almost half an acre and measures in at more than 7,700 sq feet over three floors with four bedrooms and four full and three half bathrooms. 

The open plan sitting and dining room

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

The home was an old castle that had been built in the 1920s by a silent film star. Remarkably, there had been only three owners in 100 years, but all three clearly had very different tastes from one another, which was a design issue the Novogratz faced while renovating.

Now, the space is thoroughly modern, with open-plan interiors that include a colossal, bilevel combination living and dining room. Windows stretch the length of the open plan space with spectacular views out over the Hollywood Hills.

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

'The blending of interesting objects, heirlooms, photos, and books on a library shelf is an affordable way to create a space in the room that has personality and life,' says Cortney. 

'Let the books be the main feature, as a beautiful book is timeless, elegant and affordable, and use the decorative items to bring color, humor, and variety. Bookshelves should evolve over time—collections don’t just come together in a single day, so be patient,' she adds.

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

The original home featured many small rooms, many types of hardwood flooring, and a nonsensical floor plan. The house felt like a maze with tiny rooms and multiple doorways that led to more doorways and even more tiny rooms. Everything had to be gutted and redone.

The couple have been incorporating a mix of high and low decorative elements and furnishings into their designs for many years. This is evident in this space where  they have combined a high-end Tom Dixon prototype orange chair, together with salvaged chairs that they purchased at a flea market and reupholstered.

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

The biggest challenge was to keep the charm and period feel of the house while modernizing the entire space. 

The Novogratz opened everything up to give the space a loft-like look and created a seamless feel. 

There’s also a giant family room with adjoining kitchenette and a spacious guest suite with outside entrance, plus a large, loft-like gym and a recording studio.

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

The kitchen and breakfast room

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)
  • Planning a kitchen reno? Get decor inspiration and read about all the latest kitchen ideas and looks here

A huge, high-end Boffi kitchen is arranged around a marble-topped island and an adjoining breakfast room that spills out to the backyard though chic, steel-trimmed French doors. 

'The kitchen had the lowest ceilings in the house, and we couldn’t raise them, so we kept it minimal, white, and open to make the room feel more spacious. When in doubt, white is always the solution to make a space feel larger,' says Cortney.

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

'We have used Boffi kitchens for years,' says Cortney. 'They are beautiful but expensive. In order to save on costs, we always buy a floor model which is at least 50-percent less.'

'We also have designed many kitchens with much less expensive cabinets, in which case we add more expensive hardware.'

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

The back yard patio and gardens

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

'The Torrance Steel windows and doors were quite expensive,' recalls Cortney. 'We felt they were an important investment, as they made the house elegant and distinct. If you love the look yet can’t afford it, you can use steel on the main doorway and mimic the rest in aluminum and or even do aluminum throughout.'

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

The terraced grounds incorporate a variety of eye-catchingly tiled terraces, an outdoor kitchen and a downright stunning, oval-shape swimming pool privatized by a wall of dense foliage and surrounded by lush lawn.

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

The couple kept the egg-shaped pool because they loved its retro look and they laid grass around the pool instead of tile because it’s not so hot on the feet.'

The landing

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

The couple couldn't salvage much from the original house but they did manage to save the railing from the spiral staircase and the original details from the vaulted ceiling which now dominate the landing, alongside a striking oversized Hollywood sign.

'The lighting,' says Cortney, 'is a mix of vintage and modern, and both high and low end. We hung the best lighting in the best areas of the house. 

The master bedroom

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

A couple of guest bedrooms, one with a fireplace, are joined on the upper level by a spacious master suite where French doors open to a small balcony with sweeping views over the city.

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

The bathrooms

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

Cortney says of the master bathroom: 'We used expensive tile in the master bathroom but lots of inexpensive subway tile everywhere else.'

Beside the large bathtub, Cortney uses an old candelabra salvaged from a church to display her jewelry.

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

The kids' bedrooms

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

'The reclaimed wood floors were the second most expensive item on our wish list,' says Cortney. 'These were quite expensive but are incredibly durable and well-made and get better with age.'

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)

The Novogratz family have since moved out and the home has been purchased by actors Norman Reedus and Diane Kruger. 

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(Image credit: The Novogratz)
Novogratz Design Fix: Chic and Stylish Tips for Every Decorating Scenario

Novogratz Design Fix: Chic and Stylish Tips for Every Decorating Scenario

Read more about this project and more, and get an insight into the design duo's tricks and tips to create a stylish and welcoming home on any budget.

Shop the Novogratz range of furniture and accessories


Ginevra Benedetti
Contributing Editor

Ginevra Benedetti is Associate Editor on the Homes Content Team at Future. She has been writing about interiors for the past 16 years on the majority of Britain’s monthly interiors titles, such as Ideal Home, Country Homes & Interiors and Style at Home, as well as Livingetc and of course, Homes & Gardens. This naturally lead her into writing for websites like HomesandGardens.com.