My story of meeting YHL and The Novogratz
I was pumped to find out that John & Sherry from Young House Love were scheduled to have their first stop on their book tour right here in Cincinnati last weekend at the Books by the Banks event, so of course I headed down to meet the dynamic duo and pick up a copy of their book that has not yet been released. I did not realize that a few other thousand people also had the same idea. I almost didn’t get to meet them……almost. But more on that later.
John & Sherry were scheduled to be at the book signing at 10am and were speaking at 11am. We didn’t get there until after 11 since Cole had a football game that morning, so unfortunately I missed their panel and didn’t want to interrupt it while in progress. I decided to walk around until they returned and lo and behold look who I bumped in to.
Yup. That’s The Novogratz from the hit show Home by Novogratz on HGTV and 9 by Design that aired on Bravo. It took me completely by surprise as I had no idea that they were going to be there. (I guess it would have helped if I read about what other authors were going to be there, but that’s just me. Too impatient to read things in their entirety sometimes, like not reading the part on the parking meter that said ‘this machine does not give change’ after feeding it a $20 bill. Argh.)
I spied them and recognized them immediately and probably looked like a complete fool when I rounded the corner and came to a screeching halt in front of their table and declared,”Hey! I know you!”
I had the opportunity to talk with them for a few minutes and they are absolutely wonderful and down to Earth. I just LOVE their sense of style! It is so unique and personal. Each room they design is a delight for the senses. There is always something fun and fabulous to look at around each corner. If you are unfamiliar with the Novogratz, then I highly suggest you checkout their website. You will be amazed by their talent and the fact that they have become successful designers, authors and tv celebrities all while raising their 7 kids. You read that right….seven. I asked them how they did it all with 7 children in tow, and Courtney replied, “We drink a lot of wine!” That’s my kind of girl!! I wish I was more prepared to ask them a few more in depth questions, but couldn’t really think of any on the spot. I was a little start struck still!
I picked up a copy of their new book, Home by Novogratz and had them sign it for me.
I’ve been slowly pouring over their book the last few days and find it incredibly informative and inspiring. They take you on room makeovers from start to finish and show you how they stayed with in the budget, met the homeowners needs and overcame a few design hurtles along the way. There is a ton of how-tos as well as Q&A sessions from the experts.
Robert & Courtney not only showcase room design makeovers, but also a lot of other fun projects like an amazing tree-house they built at their family vacation home in Brazil that I am completely green with envy over! You will just have to go and buy the book to see it. Breathtaking.
The Novgratz were speaking right after our little meet & greet, so I decided to head over to their panel to catch a few minutes of their talk. The kids only lasted about 10minutes before they started to be disruptive, so I ducked out before we made a big scene.
But I am glad I got to listen to them for a bit! Here are a few key points the touched on:
- Design your room around 1 piece. Start with a unique object, piece of art, rug, furniture, whatever. As long as it is something that speaks to you and has meaning it will serve as a starting point for your design and lead you in the right direction.
- Keep originality in your home. Be different. Surround yourself with things you love and reflect who you are as a person.
- Declutter. Sort through all your stuff and get rid of it! Keep only what is truly important to you and use it in your design. They touch on this subject a lot in the book as well.
Such great advise. Finding my original style and creating a unique home is the main reason why I started this blog!
They also mentioned a new home line they created for CB2 which is now available and you can check out here. It features the fun FAMILY rug shown on the cover of the book.
After ducking out of The Novogratz’s panel ,I decided to head back over to the main room to see if John & Sherry were back. And back they were, along with their hundreds of fans lined up around the room to meet them. I knew it would be busy but Holy Crap!! One look at that line and I knew it would be at least 2 hours to get through it. I imagined the impatience of the kids who would have to wait with me since I was there with them solo, and foresaw a few major meltdowns, some kicking, screaming and maybe even some crying involved… and who knew how the kids would behave! Argh. So I decided to take my chances, cross my fingers & hope that the line would disperse before YHL left the building and took my already wimpering kids to find some lunch.
After, lunch I stalked the line again and found it just as long so we headed over to the kids corner so the munchkins could blow off some steam. We made silly hats, had our faces painted, listened to music and had storytime with Splat the Cat.
After everyone was satisfied and had their fill of Splat, we headed back over to the main room to check on the line status. Still a line, but better! So we hopped in line and crossed fingers that we got to get to meet them before their time was up. I was literally almost the last person in line & was in front of this nice woman who had driven 2 hours to meet YHL and was lining up for the second time today so her daughter could give them a book to take home to Clara. Wow. That was so sweet:)
So glad I waited it out though. John & Sherry were so nice and just as friendly and welcoming as their blog. I didn't get my hands on their book as it sold out even before I arrived at the event in the morning, but they signed special book jacket stickers to place inside your book & I even managed to wrangle up a special surprise for you guys involving their book, but you will just have to wait until it is available to the general public to find out what it is!
We got to chat for a few minutes and they talked about how overwhelming this day has been for them and were completely taken by surprise at the turnout, as well as leaving Clara at home for their first ever. I remember those days…..
And in true fashion, my boys managed to leave their mark as they “doodled” in John & Sherry’s signing book, unnoticed to me as I was deep in conversation! OMG, How embarrassing. Sweet, heartwarming memories of leaving kids behind for the first time just instantly vanished. Any takers?!
HaHa! I love the look on John’s face in this picture! Maybe he just realized what my kids just did to his book?!?
They didn’t seem to mind though and actually thought it was kind of funny. Way to leave an impression I guess!! We said our good-byes after profusely apologizing for the book de-filing and headed home where this momma followed the advise of Courtney Novogratz and poured herself a very large glass of wine:)
Are any of you planning on attending a book signing event either by the Novogratz or Young House Love? You can find the YHL tour schedule here. Just take my advise and make sure you get there early! And preferably with no kids in tow. It will be well worth it to meet these lovely folks.
P.S. You can pre-order and purchase Young House Love: 243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love
and Home by Novogratz
here! Just clink on the links below.
