David Hicks
was a British decorator and designer in the 60’s. He is known as one of the
most famous decorators of his time. His designs featured bold, vibrant color
and geometric designs. He used a mix of antiques and modern furniture set off
by abstract paintings. He was known for his hatred of chintz and floral patterns. He was also known to have many high profile and aristocratic
clientele. In England he designed carpets for the Windsor Palace, and designed
the Prince of Whales’ first apartment in Buckingham Palace. He did many interiors
for Dukes and Duchesses in England. Then in 1967, Hicks started working in the
US, designing apartments in Manhattan, NY for international clientele. At the same
time he started to design patterned carpets and fabrics when he couldn’t find
any on the market he could use, and promoted his own collections of fabric and
carpet. His style gracefully blended English traditions with 20th
century technology. The rich yet simple approach was like the noted inspiration
of the great Billy Baldwin, and other notable designers as well. His list of
accomplishments is a long one. Aside from his royal clientele in England, he
was employed by the King of Saudi Arabia to design a yacht. He designed sets
for producer Richard Lester’s 1968 movie ‘Petulia’, and designed guestroom in
Tokyo at the Okura Hotel. He had collections in fashion, including his scarlet
heeled men’s evening shoes and jewelry collections as well. He even designed
the interior of a BMW. In the 1970’s and 80’s Hicks opened up several shops in
fifteen countries around the world. He was also a talented photographer,
painter and sculptor. Later in life
Hicks lived in his country home, in Oxfordshire, England. There he designed one of the
most exquisite gardens in England. He even designed his own coffin with
instructions to be laid on the ground floor of his gothic garden pavilion. He
was married to Lady Pamela Hicks and had three children, one of whom, Ashley
Louis David Hicks, their only son, is an author and interior and furniture
designer today. David Nightingale Hicks died of lung cancer at the age of 69 and
was laid to rest on April 4th, 1998.
