As Ashley Hicks approaches his 60th birthday, we celebrate one of Britain’s best-loved and most innovative designers.
When Ashley Hicks was a teenager, he had strong views about the decoration in his bedroom. Everything, including the ceiling and carpet, had to be black or white. His aesthetic may have changed in the years since. His dedication to interiors has not.
It is no surprise that Ashley has spent a lifetime thinking about the way things look. His father was David Hicks, decorator to the great and the good throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Ashley picked up much of his flair at his father’s knee – and has added a sprinkle of his own for good measure.
He trained at art school and then in architecture and has boldly designed everything from interiors all over the world to fabric and wallpaper lines under his own and his father’s name and striking furniture and sculpture. He has also written several books and is a contributing editor to Cabana magazine.
Here, we show you Ashley’s style and how you can emulate it.
Here, a pretty chair upholstered in a lively green fabric pops pleasingly out from the neutral-coloured walls.
The fabric on the chair, inspired by an Ottoman velvet from 1480, is available to buy from Ashley Hicks’s own collection. Shop it here.
The walls of the stairwell in this Wiltshire house are painted a striking and warm chocolate brown.
With its red undertones, Farrow & Ball’s Tanner’s Brown would give a similar effect. Shop it here.
The collection of delicate ceramic bottles on this mantelpiece is at once peaceful and mesmerising.
British ceramicist Linda Bloomfield makes similarly enchanting porcelain bottles in neutral tones and various sizes. Shop them here.
Clashing prints on the cushions, walls and sofa co-exist comfortably in this Milan apartment.
These reversible tapestry cushions, the result of Casa Cabana’s collaboration with Liberty, give off the same sort of vibe. Shop them here.
The geometric pattern on the walls in this home recall a 70s insouciance typified by Ashley’s father, David Hicks.
This David Hicks by Ashley Hicks wallpaper, produced by GP & J Baker, is comparably cool. Shop it here.
By Becky Ladenburg
February 2023
It is no surprise that Ashley has spent a lifetime thinking about the way things look. His father was David Hicks, decorator to the great and the good throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Ashley picked up much of his flair at his father’s knee – and has added a sprinkle of his own for good measure.
He trained at art school and then in architecture and has boldly designed everything from interiors all over the world to fabric and wallpaper lines under his own and his father’s name and striking furniture and sculpture. He has also written several books and is a contributing editor to Cabana magazine.
Here, we show you Ashley’s style and how you can emulate it.
Look One: Green With Envy
Here, a pretty chair upholstered in a lively green fabric pops pleasingly out from the neutral-coloured walls.
Get The Look
The fabric on the chair, inspired by an Ottoman velvet from 1480, is available to buy from Ashley Hicks’s own collection. Shop it here.
Look Two: Sweet Like Chocolate
The walls of the stairwell in this Wiltshire house are painted a striking and warm chocolate brown.
Get The Look
With its red undertones, Farrow & Ball’s Tanner’s Brown would give a similar effect. Shop it here.
Look Three: Vessels Of Joy
The collection of delicate ceramic bottles on this mantelpiece is at once peaceful and mesmerising.
Get The Look
British ceramicist Linda Bloomfield makes similarly enchanting porcelain bottles in neutral tones and various sizes. Shop them here.
Look Four: Folksy Comfort
Clashing prints on the cushions, walls and sofa co-exist comfortably in this Milan apartment.
Get The Look
These reversible tapestry cushions, the result of Casa Cabana’s collaboration with Liberty, give off the same sort of vibe. Shop them here.
Look Five: Natty Nostalgia
The geometric pattern on the walls in this home recall a 70s insouciance typified by Ashley’s father, David Hicks.
Get The Look
This David Hicks by Ashley Hicks wallpaper, produced by GP & J Baker, is comparably cool. Shop it here.
By Becky Ladenburg
February 2023
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Becky Ladenburg
Features Editor
As The Guide's features editor, Becky has her discerning finger on the cultural pulse. She's also our go-to expert on the property market.
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