what is your idea of perfect design happiness? IS THERE SUCH A THING? A PERFECTLY POOFED PINK SOFA FREE OF DOG HAIR AND OREO COOKIE STAINS WOULD DO ME JUST FINE.
what is your greatest fear in design? THAT I WAKE UP ONE MORNING AND FIND THE ANISH KAPOOROLYMPIC TOWER IN MY GARDEN. ANISH IS A CLOSE FRIEND AND BRILLIANT ARTIST BUT GOOD GOD THAT THING IS HIDEOUS.
which historical design figure do you most identify with? WELL HAVING DAVID HICKS AS YOUR FATHER CERTAINLY MEANS HE IS IN MY DNA. QUITE LITERALLY.
which living designer do you most admire? KELLY WEARSTLER. NOT BECAUSE I WOULD NECESSARILY WANT TO LIVE IN ONE OF HER INTERIORS BUT BECAUSE SHE HAS GUTS, DRIVE, DETERMINATION AND ABOVE ALL HER OWN POINT OF VIEW. SHE IS A BEAUTIFUL HARD WORKING WOMAN WHO HAS MADE IT ON HER OWN AND IS A MOTHER ON TOP OF ALL THAT.
what profession other than design would you like to attempt? I WOULD LIKE TO EDIT A MAGAZINE. I LIKE LONG HOURS, I LIKE A CHALLENGE, I LIKE DEADLINES BUT MOST OF ALL I LIKE BEAUTIFULLY LAID OUT PAGES OF GOOD DESIGN COUPLED WITH INTERESTING FACT.
what is your greatest design extravagance? I DON’T HUGELY OVER SPEND WHEN IT COMES TO DESIGN OR INTERIORS, PROBABLY LESS SO THAN MOST, BUT WE DO HAVE HUNDREDS OF COFFEE TABLE BOOKS. A GREAT INDULGENCE BECAUSE YOU REALLY NEVER READ THE COPY YOU ONLY FLEETINGLY GLIMPSE AT A WORD OR TWO.
when and where were you happiest with your design? RIGHT NOW. RIGHT THIS MINUTE IN MY PALE PINK OFFICE ON A BAHAMAIN SPRING DAY KNOWING THAT MY COLLECTION FOR HSN EXCEEDED ALL OUR EXPECTATIONS AND SALES GOALS. AM I ALLOWED TO BOAST ABOUT THAT?
what do you consider your greatest achievement in design? MY WEBSITE! IT’S A HUGE PROJECT AND ENORMOUS COMMITMENT. BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS GO INTO IT. FEW PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT IT TAKES FROM A PERSONAL AND FINANCIAL COMMITMENT TO KEEP AN ECOMMERCE SITE MOVING FORWARD.
if you died and came back as another designer or design object, who or what do you think it would be? A SMYTHSON LEATHER BOUND PHOTO ALBUM IN THE HICKS FLINT WOOD HOUSEHOLD. MY CHILDREN LOVE THEIR SCRAP BOOKS FILLED WITH PHOTOS, NOTES, LETTERS, AND MEMORABILIA. LOVING CHERISHED AND LOOKED AFTER.
what specific design related talent are you lacking that you would you most like to have? THE ACCOUNTING SIDE OF A DESIGN PROJECT!
what is your most treasured design related possession? MY IPHONE CAMERA. I RECORD EVERYTHING – TEXTURES, COLOURS, MOODS.
what do you regard as the lowest depths of misery in design? A HORRIBLE CLIENT.
what curse word do you most frequently use? I HAVE SEVERAL. THEY ARE ALL VERY EFFECTIVE.
what is your favorite design related word? PERFECT.
what is your least favorite design related word? ICON.
what turns you on in design? FORM AND FUNCTION.
what turns you off in design? ANYTHING OVER-PRICED. A CHAIR, A CARPENTER, A CAN OF PAINT.
what is your motto in design? “GOOD TASTE AND DESIGN ARE BY NO MEANS DEPENDENT UPON MONEY.” MY FATHER WROTE THIS INTO MY LITTLE AUTOGRAPH BOOK WHEN I WAS SEVEN. I DID NOT HAVE A CLUE WHAT IT MEANT.
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IMAGE CREDITS | Images courtesy of India Hicks, her Facebook page & Instagram. Kelly Wearstler image via Instagram.
ABOUT PROUST ON DESIGN | Answered by our design icons, these must-ask questions come from a 19th century parlor game made popular by Marcel Proust, the French novelist, essayist & critic. Proust believed the direct questions and honest responses that they elicited revealed the true nature of the individual. For this column, we have put a design related spin on the traditional questions. While this method has been used by many journalists throughout the years, we were primarily inspired by The Proust Questionnaire, which appears monthly on the back page of one of our all time favorite magazines, Vanity Fair (also Krista’s alma mater). Read all of the previous Proust on Design questionnaires here.
