At Home with Ashley Hicks

Interior designer Ashley Hicks discusses his unique aesthetic as he shows us around his apartment — or ‘set’ — in The Albany, London’s most exclusive complex of bachelor pads. ‘Welcome to Albany,’ says interior designer Ashley Hicks as he shows us into the exclusive apartment buildings on Piccadilly, London. The Albany’s list of illustrious former residents includes Lord Byron, William Gladstone and Aldous Huxley. Built in the late 18th century, it was converted in 1803 into 69 bachelor apartments, known as ‘sets’, by the architect Henry Holland. Ashley’s father, David Hicks (1929-98), was one of the most influential interior designers of his generation, whose clients numbered the Prince of Wales, Vidal Sassoon and the King of Saudi Arabia. David bought the apartment in 1979. ‘The Albany has always been a haven for bachelors,’ explains Ashley. ‘Unfortunately, I met an unruly Texan,’ he dead-pans, gesturing to his pregnant wife, Kata. Asked how she likes living in her husband’s colourful apartment, Kata smiles. ‘It’s fantastic,’ she says. ‘I love living in a retirement home!’ ‘I like things to be quite comfortable,’ continues Hicks, undeterred. ‘I like things to be interesting, so I like to have layers of historical allusion and a bit of modern pizzazz.’ Find out more: http://ift.tt/2jAM3bz