Gorgeous, Luxurious, English

In April, the legendary interior designer Nicky Haslam represented his newest book at the Design Week in London. The “Folly de Grandeur” starts a new chapter in the publication of vanity”, he says with tongue-in-cheek - not without irony about himself. In his book, Haslam takes us around his kingdom, which just exudes joy thanks to the ornaments, kitsch, exuberance and textile aesthetics.

“The rooms, photos of which you can see in the book, are the culmination of a lifelong passion for sophistication and beauty,” Haslam writes in his book. Yes, there is no doubt about that. The strictness in realization of his ideas and the courage to combine the old and new styles together make a great impression, as well as self-evidence, with which Nicky Haslam represents his extravagance.

Nicky Haslam was born in 1939 in Buckinghamshire in the family of a diplomat, his career started in the 1960s in Los Angeles as a horse breeder. Soon after this, he started his own trademark in London as a successful photographer and designer. Journalist Sam Leith summarized the stages of his career as the following: “As London swung in the sixties, Haslam was there - to hang out with photographer David Bailey and model Jean Shrimpton. When a stormy lifestyle was blossoming in New York in the sixties, Haslam was there – in order to introduce the English features, to work as an art director of the “Vogue” magazine with Diana Vreeland, to discover photographer Diane Arbus and spend his time socializing with Truman Capote. As LA became “the place where you want to live”, Haslam was there as well (Daily Mail, November 19, 2009).

Let’s get back to the book: every room, every photo is a lesson of style. We can learn how to make a home cozy with the help of sofas with pillows and blankets, how to decorate tables with cloths properly. The walls in the rooms are covered with a wallpaper; the chairs are bounded with the corresponding fabrics and all of them have their own highlights. Answering the question what he was striving for while designing the interior of each room, Haslam said: “Listen to the room. It’s speaking to you”. In this case, five centuries of turbulent history were talking to Nicky Haslam. The house with the fabulous facade is located on the hunting grounds of King Henry VII and John Fowler, the English interior designer, previously inhabited it.

Haslam uses gaudy colors to describe the encounters in his country house, tells the stories of the rooms, hiding no details of decoration and furniture. He brings life into the whole house, both inside and out, thanks to his personal view on things.

The “Folly de Grandeur” is published by Rizzoli, New York - and will soon become a pattern piece of literature for lovers of the English country-house style.

Author: A.C.

 

Haslam’s own style, put into life in his country house in Buckinghamshire, © Rizzoli, New York

 

 

Marble, porcelain, flowers and blankets - a skillful combination of textures, © Rizzoli, New York.

 

Wallpaper in Japanese style is best suited for country houses designed in the English style, © Rizzoli, New York

 

The history of furniture, accessories and images, visually increasing the size of the rooms, © Rizzoli, New York

 

Curtains and tablecloths - they can also be too long - create a wonderful atmosphere, © Rizzoli, New York.

 

Bedroom in Victorian style, © Rizzoli, New York

 

The book “Folly de Grandeur”, published in Rizzoli, New York, © Rizzoli, New York