Widely famous as a British Royal insider and second cousin to Prince Charles, India Hicks (right) has also staked her claim as a prominent designer, lifestyle entrepreneur, TV commentator and author. On February 21, Hicks will take the stage in the Distinguished Speaker Series, part of the Luxury Home Design Show at Miromar Design Center. NI talked with Hicks about her distinctive Bahamian island style.
The Luxury Home Design Show at Miromar Design Center in Estero will be held February 19 through February 21. Hicks closes the show’s speaker series, which begins on February 19 with Timothy Corrigan, named one of the world’s top 100 architects and designers by Architectural Digest, and Nancy Braithwaite, renowned designer and author of Simplicity (Rizzoli, 2014). John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon, the dynamic duo of the MadCap Cottage Interior design firm, gurus of pattern and color, follow on February 20.
NI: How did you develop a passion for design?
HICKS: I grew up as the daughter of David Hicks, one of the great interior decorators of the 1960s-1970s; so inevitably, design became part of my DNA.
How do you create a home that reflects your personality?
Designing a home is like the canvas on which you paint your life. It’s important to reflect who you are and the life you’ve led, especially as we get older. You might frame some artwork from your kids, or put out something you cherished from your mother, like an antique clock or a piece of jewelry.
What are some things to avoid in home design?
Don’t design your house for anyone else; design to your personality and don’t be seduced by an interior that’s not going to fit your lifestyle. You also have to think of practicality; there has to be a compromise of how you’re living if you have children. Light without a dimmer is a huge mistake—we forget there are so many moods throughout the day, and at the end, you just want to come home, dim the lights, light some candles and take a moment for yourself.
How does your Bahamian sensibility work for Naples’ style?
Living in the tropics, there’s so much color and design that you want the interior to be a bit calmer. When designing for a beach environment, I look to Mother Nature—I love the texture of the coconut husk and palm frond. Inside our own home, we took out the harsher elements of tile, stone and cement and replaced them with wood, paper and straw.
What will you focus on in your lecture?
I’ll be talking about island life and island style, which is very fitting for the Naples audience. We’ll meander through my home and I’ll tell lots of funny stories about getting furniture to the island and the disasters that occurred along the way, and how my husband and I got our houses to feel like home.
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