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Design Alchemy
Two talented designers combine their creative visions--resulting in a magnificent fusion of classic and contemporary styles. How do they achieve this incredible synthesis of the old and new, something so free-flowing and organic, with vibrant touches of ethnic and modern? Here are their inspirations and philosophy, and an intimate view of their process of creation. Watch Ashley's furniture and Allegra's textiles as they evolve in the studio, and how the couple brings together different elements, balances contrasting features, and introduces color, form, and texture. Finally, see the completed rooms and how they fit the needs of individual clients, from a maisonette in London to a large villa in Turin. The challenges of six problem rooms are analyzed and met. The sophisticated, enduring looks for the timeless interior and a unique portrait of a very special partnership.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published May 28, 2002
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July 19, 2026
Read this knowing I am not reviewing the book but rather leaving notes and asides to remind me of my readings year to year. Much of my prolific reading was lost from childhood on, but perhaps today’s children can use the tools now available and be more vigorous in their record keeping.
Ashley Hicks, son of the late British interior designer David Hicks, and his wife, Allegra, have become a popular and successful design team in their own right. In this book, they examine the historical and cultural influences on their design and show examples of their work with explanations of their approach.
The reader studies Ashley's furniture and Allegra's textiles as they evolve in the studio, and how the couple brings together different elements, balances contrasting features, and introduces color, form, and texture. Finally, we are shown the completed rooms and how they fit the needs of individual clients, from a maisonette in London to a large villa in Turin. The challenges of six problem rooms are analyzed and met.
Here it what I did not care about the book. In the opening two chapters, I was completely hooked. Entering historic or well created spaces and mentioning historical triggers within himself: the color of a wall in Pompeii, the rent sleeve of a gentleman in a Renaissance painting and how this can translate into the ideas of making a room something independent of subsequent rooms, yet remain part of the whole and letting the room express, through the creator's inspiration, what fulfills it.
The rest of the book was like dropping off of a cliff. Way too much print time given over to Hicks' wife's designs (predominantly modern) with some earlier references like a Turkish carnation pattern from the 16th-century. I had no interest in seeing room after room with her wallpaper and rugs predominating. It's lovely that her husband is so enchanted with her talents. It killed the book, for me.
Ashley Hicks, son of the late British interior designer David Hicks, and his wife, Allegra, have become a popular and successful design team in their own right. In this book, they examine the historical and cultural influences on their design and show examples of their work with explanations of their approach.
The reader studies Ashley's furniture and Allegra's textiles as they evolve in the studio, and how the couple brings together different elements, balances contrasting features, and introduces color, form, and texture. Finally, we are shown the completed rooms and how they fit the needs of individual clients, from a maisonette in London to a large villa in Turin. The challenges of six problem rooms are analyzed and met.
Here it what I did not care about the book. In the opening two chapters, I was completely hooked. Entering historic or well created spaces and mentioning historical triggers within himself: the color of a wall in Pompeii, the rent sleeve of a gentleman in a Renaissance painting and how this can translate into the ideas of making a room something independent of subsequent rooms, yet remain part of the whole and letting the room express, through the creator's inspiration, what fulfills it.
The rest of the book was like dropping off of a cliff. Way too much print time given over to Hicks' wife's designs (predominantly modern) with some earlier references like a Turkish carnation pattern from the 16th-century. I had no interest in seeing room after room with her wallpaper and rugs predominating. It's lovely that her husband is so enchanted with her talents. It killed the book, for me.
Displaying 1 of 1 review