Blogger of the Week

Blogger of the Week: India Hicks

By Molly Heintz

“My father was famed interior decorator David Hicks, and my mother is Pamela Hicks, daughter to the Earl and Countess Mountbatten of Burma.

My grandfather was the last Viceroy of India, and gave the country their independence in 1947, hence my name.

The Prince of Wales is my Godfather. A wonderful one. But as a tomboy it was hard to forgive being asked to wear that frilly dress as a bridesmaid to him and Lady Diana…”

So begins the “about” page of the new online journal (a.k.a. blog) by India Hicks,Natasha aristocrat turned model turned island-dwelling design guru.

In the last decade Hicks has authored books about island style (Island Life and Island Beauty) and partnered with Crabtree & Evelyn to create island-themed bath and beauty collections, in addition to a stint as host for Bravo’s “Top Design.” As a recent profile in the New York Times T Magazine pointed out, Hicks has always lived on islands—England, Ireland, Manhattan—but she seems to have come into her own after settling on Harbour Island in the Bahamas, where she now resides with her husband, their four children, and assorted pets. Here, her effortless chic merged with a casual lifestyle to create an approach to design that is clean, comfortable, and above all, connected to nature.

Hicks has designed several properties in the Bahamas, including the Guest House at Hibiscus Hill and the adjacent Cricket Pavilion, that are available for leasing, and she also co-owns a boutique called The Sugar Mill. But it’s glimpses into Hicks’ private life through her journal that reflect the essence of daily island living, from a post on her iridescent Japanese fighting fish named Oscar to a note about the discovery of a coral fan (long since detached from its reef) that she installed over a doorway to great effect.

With so much high-octane blogging today, it’s refreshing to tune into Hicks slightly slower and thoughtful pace. Because she is a bit removed but still connected to activities back in the “real world,” often zipping off to events in Miami or London (also covered in her journal), Hicks has a distinctly sane and quite humorous perspective on jet-setting, making her simple island life seem all the more glamorous.