Nicholas Haslam
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Ponsonby 'Nicky' Haslam (born September 27, 1939) is a British
interior designer and socialite and founder of the London-based interior design firm NH Design Inc.
, in 1949.
He was educated at private school and Eton College
.
In 1966, Haslam and his lover at the time, American banking heir James Davison, bought Black Canyon Ranch, near Phoenix, Arizona for breeding and showing Arabian horses. From 1970 he combined breeding show horses, working in Los Angeles as a photographer and designing rooms and parties for clients, among them Natalie Wood
.
Haslam broke up with Davison and returned to London in 1972, where he soon was asked to design and decorate a townhouse for Lord Hesketh. In the early 1980's, Haslam owned and operated the Nicholas Haslam Showroom on Holbein Place, London, together with his then-partner, Paolo Moschino. When the pair split in 1995, Haslam took control of NH Design as the interior design side of the business, with Moschino taking ownership of the Nicholas Haslam shop. The two businesses today operate as separate entities.
Haslam has recently published a book of his work entitled Sheer Opulence, and a second book on design is in the pipeline. His autobiography, Redeeming Features, was published in 2009; in it he mentions his affairs with numerous individuals, including architect Philip Johnson
, photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, art dealer Cavan O'Brien, and artist Michael Wishart. He is a frequent columnist for the London Evening Standard and Sunday Telegraph
magazines. Besides frequently writing reviews for The World of Interiors and The Spectator, Haslam wrote a gossip column for "Ritz Newspaper
" under the pseudonym 'Paul Parsons' and has been a contributing editor of British Vogue and Tatler for many years. In December 2010, Haslam started blogging for The Telegraph.
Before launching her own retail chain, the designer Cath Kidston
worked for Haslam.
shortly before the latter married Princess Margaret
of the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
interior designer and socialite and founder of the London-based interior design firm NH Design Inc.
Background
Haslam was born at Great Hundridge Manor, Buckinghamshire, England, the third son of diplomat William Heywood Haslam (1889—1981)‚ and his wife, the former Diamond Louise Constance Ponsonby (aka Diana, b. 1897), a granddaughter of the 7th Earl of Bessborough, a goddaughter of Queen Victoria, and the former wife of Dr. Henry E. Marks, an American physician. Haslam's brothers are Ralph Michael Haslam (born 1931) and William John Heywood Haslam (born 1933). He also had a half-sister, Diana Marks (aka Anne, 1925—1987), who married John Hilder Loeb, son of a founding partner of the Brillo Manufacturing CorporationBrillo Pad
Brillo Pad is a trade name for a scouring pad, used for cleaning dishes, and made from steel wool impregnated with soap. The concept was patented in 1913...
, in 1949.
He was educated at private school and Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
.
In 1966, Haslam and his lover at the time, American banking heir James Davison, bought Black Canyon Ranch, near Phoenix, Arizona for breeding and showing Arabian horses. From 1970 he combined breeding show horses, working in Los Angeles as a photographer and designing rooms and parties for clients, among them Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood, born Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko was an American film and television actress. After first working in films as a child, Wood became a successful Hollywood star as a young adult, receiving three Academy Award nominations before she was 25 years old.Wood began acting in movies at the...
.
Haslam broke up with Davison and returned to London in 1972, where he soon was asked to design and decorate a townhouse for Lord Hesketh. In the early 1980's, Haslam owned and operated the Nicholas Haslam Showroom on Holbein Place, London, together with his then-partner, Paolo Moschino. When the pair split in 1995, Haslam took control of NH Design as the interior design side of the business, with Moschino taking ownership of the Nicholas Haslam shop. The two businesses today operate as separate entities.
Haslam has recently published a book of his work entitled Sheer Opulence, and a second book on design is in the pipeline. His autobiography, Redeeming Features, was published in 2009; in it he mentions his affairs with numerous individuals, including architect Philip Johnson
Philip Johnson
Philip Cortelyou Johnson was an influential American architect.In 1930, he founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and later , as a trustee, he was awarded an American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the first Pritzker Architecture...
, photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, art dealer Cavan O'Brien, and artist Michael Wishart. He is a frequent columnist for the London Evening Standard and Sunday Telegraph
Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961. It is the sister paper of The Daily Telegraph, but is run separately with a different editorial staff, although there is some cross-usage of stories...
magazines. Besides frequently writing reviews for The World of Interiors and The Spectator, Haslam wrote a gossip column for "Ritz Newspaper
Ritz Newspaper
Ritz Newspaper, colloquially Ritz Magazine, sometimes simply Ritz, was a British magazine focusing on gossip, celebrity and fashion. It was launched in 1976 by David Bailey and David Litchfield, who acted as co-editors. Published on newsprint and described by Litchfield as "the Lou Reed of...
" under the pseudonym 'Paul Parsons' and has been a contributing editor of British Vogue and Tatler for many years. In December 2010, Haslam started blogging for The Telegraph.
Before launching her own retail chain, the designer Cath Kidston
Cath Kidston
Catherine Isabel Kidston, born 6 November 1958 and generally known as Cath Kidston, is a British fashion designer, businesswoman and author whose company, Cath Kidston Limited sells home furnishings and related goods through shops, online and by mail order. In February 2010, the company was valued...
worked for Haslam.
Memoir
In his 2009 memoir, Redeeming Features, Haslam claims that he had an affair with photographer Antony Armstrong-JonesAntony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon
Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, GCVO, RDI is an English photographer and film maker. He was married to Princess Margaret, younger daughter of King George VI and younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II....
shortly before the latter married Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II and the younger daughter of King George VI....
of the United Kingdom.
Books
- Redeeming Features , published in November 2009 by Knopf (US) and Jonathan Cape (UK).
Cabaret Performances
In June 2009 Haslam performed five nights of Hart and Cole at Bellamy's Restaurant in London. To celebrate the launch of the new Beaufort Bar at the Savoy in London in November 2010, Haslam performed two nights of cabaret, singing Cole Porter songs to a private audience that included guests like Kate Moss, Jerry Hall and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.External links
Photographs of Nicky Haslam:- http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.aspx?contractUrl=2&language=en-GB&family=editorial&assetType=image&p=nicky%20haslam&src=standard#
- http://www.wireimage.com/SearchResults.aspx?navtyp=SRH&sfld=C&logsrch=l&s=nicky%20haslam
- http://www.zimbio.com/Nicky+Haslam/pictures/pro