Category Archives: David Hicks

The Temple of the Four Seasons

It is believed that The Temple of the Four Seasons, also referred to as The Temple in Stoke-by-Nayland, was built by architect Robert Taylor sometime around 1750 after he returned to England from his studies in Rome. Resembling his Asgill house, The Temple represents the influence of Italy on the development of his architectural vernacular, […]

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A Man and His Houses, Part II

For many years I was under the impression that Wright Ludington’s villas Hesperides and October Hill were one and the same. I actually discovered Ludington’s final Montecito residence, October Hill, first in a 1983 issue of House & Garden. It wasn’t until I happened upon posts written years later by The Blue Remembered Hills on […]

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Classic + Modern Mix

One of my favorite approaches to decorating a room is mixing classic and modern design elements. Modern paintings, or perhaps a gleaming Claude Lalanne chair, in a predominantly traditional room adds verve and prevents the room from becoming staid. Conversely, a predominantly contemporary, or even modern, space is heightened by an occasional classic flourish – […]

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Forever Hicks

Posted September 17, 2014. Filed in Classic Chic, Classic Contemporary, Classical Moderne, David Hicks

Forty-nine years ago, in 1965, David Hicks decorated this apartment for an undisclosed client, referred to as “Lady X”, comprising two floors running the length of two 1830’s houses overlooking Hyde Park in London. In 2003 his son, Ashley Hicks, was alerted to its preserved state and was encouraged to view it when he was […]

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ROMANCING THE TABLE

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. Have you booked that enviable cozy banquette set into a discreet niche in your city’s most romantic restaurant? If not, sorry Charlie, you’re too late! At this point in time you will be lucky to score a booth at Applebee’s, which in all directness won’t score the points you’re aiming for. […]

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The Allure of Orange

Orange as a color for decorating, or sartorial considerations for that matter, doesn’t often enter my design vocabulary for whatever reason. However, autumn is my favorite of the seasons and I practically become giddy with excitement at the first sign of autumn’s golden yellows, glowing oranges, and fiery reds. The color orange radiates warmth  and […]

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Hello, Yellow!

The color yellow has been getting its due lately. In just the past few months it seems to be popping optimistically from the pages of shelter magazines and design books. Perhaps it is a reflection of the times in which we live, with sights set on a brighter future, or a longing and remembrance of […]

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Riviera Style: Le Clos Fiorentina

In the last post, Riviera Style, I extolled the sun-kissed charms of the French Riviera’s heyday and inception as playground to the rich and famous, beginning in the early 20th-century, stopping along the way to visit The Gerald Murphy’s at their Villa America in Cap d’Antibes, Coco Chanel at Villa La Pausa, Lady Kenmare and […]

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Riviera Style

There are few places that possess that heady combination of miles of stunning coastal scenery and white sand beaches, crystalline blue skies, a temperate climate, picturesque villages, gilded mansions and a glamorous, storied past as does the French Riviera. From St. Tropez to Monaco the beau monde of this fabled coast of the rich and […]

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