A House & A Host: The Grove with Ashley Hicks, designed by David Hicks

“My father was very instinctive, he would walk into a room and know immediately what to do with it.” Join Ashley Hicks for an intimate, deeply personal tour of the home he grew up in, designed by his father, the great English decorator, David Hicks.
Full of color, pattern and personality, and surrounded by sensational Hicks-designed gardens, The Grove bears all the hallmarks of David Hicks’ uniquely influential style. “[His influence] continues to be almost as strong today I think, 25 years after he died, as it’s ever been,” says Ashley.
“It’s partly because his work is so easy to understand…it has such a strong graphic look - people can easily say ‘that’s David Hicks’ - [but also partly because] it's quite richly varied, there’s something for everyone. He’s using antiques, he’s using modern furniture, he’s combining different periods, there’s no defining thing that excludes other styles.”
Sharing candid insights into his father’s life, career and character, Ashley opens the door to both a house and an icon. Step inside the world of David Hicks.
To read more about David Hicks visit:
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To order a copy of David Hicks in Colour, written by Ashley Hicks, with a foreword by Tory Burch, visit:
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For more stories from the World of Cabana:
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[@kristyjohnson2820]

I loved the authenticity of his son, speaking so candidly not only about his father’s character but his economic grievances at never being paid a penny for his work. Incredible to consider David Hicks’ lack of financial recognition in this day and age given his far reaching influence in interior design. Great interview.

[@th3azscorpio]

So very well decorated, and curated this home is. Such a wonderful use of color, light, and collected items. I strive to have exactly this. ❤ Very well shot, and composed cinematography as well.

[@ruralangwin]

I'm appreciative that this was not edited to remove the painful stuff. We all live with trauma and the truth makes it less powerful.

[@abeltootlejr.300]

I love David Hicks' work. I remember reading once that a guest of his moved a chair or some other piece of furniture and was never invited back. We are told he was very irate! I smiled; it reminded me of myself at one point. I never knew he wrote 70 books. WOW. Very interesting interview. Thanks.

[@AnnieManuel-e5w]

David Hicks is my favourite interior designer. I was lucky enough to visit the house and take many photos and talk to your father about his design work for my book, ‘Colour in Decoration’ published by Frances Lincoln. The colours were extraordinary…. The cantaloupe coloured hallway was stunning , but the pink and yellow drawing room with white were a huge and thrilling surprise to me. I’d never seen anything quite like it. His understanding of colour was terrific. I can’t believe he never made any money from it.

[@margiechism]

I see your Father's design process ■ he lived the process of art, and he established the rendering that can only be accomplished by constantly mathematical placement in developmental composition. It is a process that most learn through, but [f]ew display and map the critique. Your collection is a priceless element of design. M

[@jakecavendish3470]

He did my great uncle's house in Tyrone in the 1960s/70s, apparently he was a nice guy but my great aunt said "we did have to lock up the gin and the farmhands for the duration" 😂

[@trishahopkins8199]

​@@jenniferatkinson245are you serious???? 😂😂😂

[@batubop651]

Always admired David Hicks. His use of bold pattern mixing, unusual colour blocking and daring proportion in some of his more modern designs were so striking and almost confronting for their times, especially when contrasted against his use of traditional sensibilities too. It’s always easy to spot a David Hicks design, his unique stamp. Really enjoyed this video and insight into the man himself, perhaps not the easiest father to live with at times I imagine. Thank you for sharing, Ashley. Cabana, would love a video showing some of his more famous and iconic rooms, perhaps in chronological order so we could see his influences and style evolution?

[@erics1140]

Very interesting and well done video. How unfortunate that he wasn't paid for his beautiful work. I honestly can't wrap my head around it.

[@obionyeaso]

Moving, inspiring and sad all at once. Thank you.

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

Thank you for the video. There is a lot to be said for a great career. However, a cheerful life has its own joys.

[@IMAInteriors]

This was such an interesting video in so many ways.

[@CabanaMagazine]

Delighted to hear this! Team Cabana x

[@ronaldmartin2304]

I do wish it was much longer.

[@kismit100]

Superb ❤ Hicks was a legend

[@iwonagrzeskowiak1069]

👍👍👍💖💖💖💎💎💎✨✨✨ Ten piękny dom sprawia wrażenie,że jest ponadczasowy.Nie dotykają go żadne zmieniające się trendy,bo jest w nim zawarta historia,stabilność...Dla mnie jest to dom idealny!

[@arzuaksen9751]

So sincere, so authentic, loved it❤

[@homeandgardenwithnick678]

Really stunning what a beautiful room to live in love from Ireland❤️☘️

[@KellyMcKee-f3z]

I feel as though I could walk into any of these rooms and be right at home. The rooms invite one to sit down and read, embroider, or just look at the beautiful artwork. Looks like I'll be searching for books by David Hicks. Cabana Magazine ... thank you for your wonderful presentations!

[@juliancoulden1753]

His work is timeless

[@dagnajanasz-tchaparian5535]

Oh finally!!! Love it❤❤❤❤

[@Tuckerz5d]

Very interesting, thank you.

[@chuckm6486]

Perhaps one of David Hicks's lesser known projects was the design of the first class night club - the Q4 Room - for Cunard's ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2. This beautiful room apparently was entirely lost when the ship underwent a major mid-life redesign and was replaced by a large glass enclosed lido area. As a fan, I greatly enjoyed this video about an incredible talent.

[@MissJoyceMartin]

loved this !

[@alixvhessen]

What a wonderful home, full of family memorabilia. I noticed the Thornycroft bust of a young Princess Alice, a portrait of Louis IX. Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and a porcelain plaque showing the portrait of Empress Alexandra of Russia which they have framed. Lovely

[@patriceButler-l7d]

ashley great video i love your fathers work am back in europe from years in china will try be in touch

[@SamLopezabaleta]

Hickstory ❤❤❤

[@kismit100]

Hicks was pure genius

[@duncanowen6712]

Lovely film

[@markfalcoff1743]

I am a great admirer of David Hicks' work but I don't see how he can say he never earned a penny from it. This strikes me as a classic example of British understatement.

[@MTMF.london]

He probably meant David Hicks was not paid what his expertise was actually worth. His clients being mostly aristocrats and very wealthy people who are generally known for their tight-fistedness. Also campared with what interior designers nowadays could charge, he was definitely paid a pittance.

[@sebeckley]

He married Pamela Mountbatten, daughter of THE Lord Mountbatten, Prince Philip's uncle, so he lived off of her money.

[@MTMF.london]

@@sebeckleyIt was Lady Edwina's family that was wealthy and the Lord Mountbatten benefitted from his marriage to her. Prince Philip's family were pennyless and he was famously shunted around from relative to relative while growing up. I am not sure female heirs inherit fortunes from their families as the British aristocracy tend to follow primogeniture where the first son gets everything.

[@karenstieglitz3443]

But why did he not earn money from his work? Did he not charge his clients for the work? Many thanks.

[@dainasworldnumbers88]

Your father was my favorite designer.

[@davidcattin7006]

Curious what the net worth was of a man who "never earned a penny" from his work. Net worth usually pops up immediately for any celebrity, but there is nothing to be found about this guy. Anyone else find that odd? You look up his daughter, India, and the fourth item that pops up is net worth...

[@stevemiller7949]

Of course , decorators are mostly?? right brain. Perhaps that is why it's said many of them struggle financially??

[@MaisonKirkman]

LOL 'Ordinary Soldiers' - so love the empire colonial attitudes of some being 'above ordinary' , so 21st century, cheerio old chap , tallyho & let those ordinary folks do the cleaning up

[@milkshake3350]

Some people are very ordinary and some people are rather special, that doesn't mean one person is better than the other it's just that we are not all equal in our lives and nor should we be.

[@heartofoak45]

He may not have earned much money, but look at his legacy in 69 short years. Don't you think life is too short to accomplish all that one wants to do. When one looks at the overall contribution that a person makes to society death can sometimes feel like terrible retribution.

[@ВалентинаМакосова]

Первый раз вижу когда этот господин соответсвует своему происхождению.

[@iainsanders4775]

Piles & piles of Stuff! Like a charity shop I know that charges too much.

[@ericwright2378]

🙏🏿🙏🏿👁️👁️👁️👁️👁️🙌🏿❤️🙌🏿

[@kaktusdesiberie7196]

At first I was wondering why he was so frustrated and megalomaniac but not being paid and while being one of the greats will do that.

[@margiechism]

Family and friends can easily feel safe with each other's talents ■ it eliminates stranges and saves time, the sharing one's time and skill is an activity of caring and sharing; being part of one's life with another. To be honest, it is not what one could get out of the work, but what one can put into the labor and finish product. It is about building a better environment and being involved in the process. M

[@d.l.7399]

Yeah, the army is a school for young men. But today...

[@АннаМордовина-е9к]

Мне?

[@yvonnerolley9676]

Aristocrats army service was hardly ‘on the front’ it was playing/painting et al

[@MTMF.london]

Not entirely true. Aristocrats or not, nobody got to choose where they got stationed. Some were in regular army garrisons withing UK, many were posted overseas including Germany, Korea, Egypt, Kenya, Malaya, Borneo and Cyprus.

[@gustacano1749]

He needs to stand up. Just talking....

[@anitaitisanita8549]

not worth watching

[@andreaandrea6716]

disagree