B
ASED
INABAHAMIAN
oasisof sand, surf, and sun,
designer
IndiaHicks
is thedefinitionof bare-
foot chic. But youwouldn’t immediatelyguess
that by lookingat her bio. Born inLondon,
India is thedaughter of famed interior decorator
DavidHicks andhiswife, LadyPamelaHicks,whose
parentswere theEarl andCountessMountbatten
of Burma. Andher godfather?ThatwouldbeHRH
PrinceCharles. TheCaribbeanalways called the
former fashionmodel, however, and today she’s
turnedher island life into somethingof a cottage
industry, using it as inspiration for her pitch-perfect
homedécor, fashion, jewelry, andbeauty lines, as
well as her decoratingbooks. Between jaunts to
SARAHWOOD
CELEBRATED TRAVELER
INDIAHICKS
exotic localeswhere she sources items for her
Bahamasboutiqueand ideas for her various
collections, she founda fewminutes to share this
window intoherwell-traveled life.
LIVING IN THE CARIBBEAN
iswonderfulbecause there
arenoparking tickets—well, not on the small
Bahamianout-island I happen to liveon. The school
run is a three-minutegolf-cart ride, and theonly
traffic jammight bea familyof chickens crossing
the road. Although I spend thegreater part ofmy
day inanoffice, I’mable to takemydogs ona three-
milepink-sandbeach run in the lateafternoonand
watchablood-red tropical sunsetmost evenings.
And themoon canbe sobright you can seeyour
own shadow
.
FOR DESIGN INSPIRATION,
I always findmyself
turning toMotherNature. She’s agreat designer.
Themarkings in the sand, the colors of theocean,
thepatterns on thepalm trees…
MY GREATEST INDULGENCE
is a family supper inour
walled courtyardunder the stars, unrushedandwith
muchverbal joustingamongmy five children.
Anaviaryof lovebirds sits toone sideof the court-
yard, andwehear their little sleepy chirps as the
evening lingers.
THE NEXT PROJECTS
I’mmost excitedabout aremy
growing collections forHSN (theHomeShopping
Network). I have createda series of sheets, comfort-
ers, quilts, andhomeaccessories, all basedonmy
island life. Thesedesigns arealsoavailableonmy
website, indiahicks.com. I spendmost ofmywaking
hoursmanagingandworryingabout this site. My
mother, who’s inhermid-80s, simply can’t under-
stand that I havea shop in the sky.We recentlygave
her an iPad so she couldhavea look. ‘What anice
idea, darling,’ she said, and firmly shut it intoher
deskdrawer.
I SIMPLY CAN’T
travel withoutmyBoseheadphones. I
travel transatlantic agreat deal. TheBosehead-
phonesmake it all themorebearable. I try to think
about it as ninehours of uninterrupted filmviewing
andnot about contendingwith thebloody stressful
meetingat theother end.
”
“
88
SUMMER
AA.COM CELEBRATEDLIVING
