Star Designer of the 60's- David Hicks

 

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 20^th 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 4^th, 1998.

Here are just a few of his designs: