60's-70's design superstar: david hicks

pop quiz:

was this london living room completed last month or 36 years ago?
look carefully: oversized geometric–pattern carpet, a boldly modern sofa covered in raw silk and flanked by empire lamps on quilted satin table cloths, and a lovely louis chair.

if you chose 1971,you're well on your way to being a design superstar too.

this was just one of innumerable spaces designed by david hicks (1929–1998), arguably one of modern history's most influential designers. his use of color, texture, and pattern were ground breaking 40 years ago and still resonate today. hicks’s dynamic mix of antique and modern pieces has a deceptively contemporary ring. he built the bridge connecting the formal classical styles of the past to the current modern style of today. designers including billy baldwin, mark hampton, vicente wolfe, jonathan adler, kelly wearstler, muriel brandolini and tom ford got their inspiration from him and have adopted his signature style.

whenever you look at a room with a harmonious mix of classical and contemporary pieces, you are seeing an echo of the david hicks style.

(here he is looking all james bond-ish with the majesty herself, in a room he designed with black high-gloss walls. chic and daring)

(gray carpet, coral upholstered louis & regency chairs, and the original white antler head that has become popular again amongst many decorators today)

(stainless steel walls with red-orange & black furnishings make this dining room very intimate & masculine)

(lime green and seafoam teal are brought together gorgeously in this sitting room)

(i love this neutral white & brown living room with the elegantly crafted pop of chartreuse)

(this study does not inspire procrastination. vibrant & eclectic decor with high-gloss red walls, solid & bright furnishings, small repeating-pattern carpet, and bright white accents. wow)

(here again his subtlety and sohpisticated detailing are captivating. i wonder what it would have been like t o work with him?)

all photos courtesy of david hicks archives. info gathered from designare & homespun vintage design .