A Designer's Life is a fascinating insight into the glamorous world of Nicky Haslam, one of the UK's leading interior designers, who is renowned for his flamboyant, opulent and elegant style. Nicky grew up in Great Hundridge Manor in Buckinghamshire and was educated at Eton. After a period working for Diana Vreeland at American Vogue in the 1960s, Nicky went on to become Editor of Show magazine before moving to Arizona to breed horses. He returned to England in the early 1970s and began his career as an interior decorator in earnest, setting up his company, NH Design, in the late 1980s. Since then he has decorated the houses of rock stars and royalty, aristocrats and artists alike - many of whom have become close personal friends. Always on the receiving end of countless invitations, Nicky has designed the decor for some of the most glamorous parties for everyone from the Prince of Wales to Paris Hilton. With its fresh, lively and spontaneous approach that reflects Nicky's charisma, wit and charm, A Designer's Life reveals the influences, associations, inspirations and achievements that have been so pivotal throughout the course of his life and work.

Nicky Haslam has always been at the centre of things wherever he is - at parties, opening nights, royal weddings - and has stories to tell of crossing paths, and more, with the cultural icons of our time: Cecil Beaton, Francis Bacon, Diana Cooper, Lucian Freud, David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Jack Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe to name but a few. Redeeming Features is an exuberantly told and stunningly crafted memoir: a compelling and wholly singular document of our times.

" Haslam pops up from decade to decade alongside some of the most fascinating people in our cultural history.Vanity Fair The erudite but witty collected critiques, commentaries, reviews and reflections of the renowned society figure, author and interior designer, who has known everyone. Nicky Haslam is known for a number of achievements: he is an established interior designer, a successful author, renowned society figure and, in his most recent incarnation, a cabaret singer, playing to sell out audiences in London and New York. Less well-known are his writings for a number of prestigious publications, including The Spectator, The Oldie, the Literary Review, as well as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Tatler and The World of Interiors among many publications both in the UK and abroad. This curated collection celebrates Haslam's accomplishments as a writer, commentator and litterateur. Incorporating selected pieces of Haslam's extensive and eclectic writings from throughout his varied career and spanning several decades, The Impatient Pen is an anthology of a lifetime spent observing, learning, as well as thriving, among the artistic and society circles in Europe and America. Haslam's critiques, commentaries, reviews and reflections attest to his status as a polymath: exhibiting his knowledge of assorted topics, ranging from architecture, painting and all areas of design to gardens, food, and social history, delivered with characteristic erudition, wit and insight. "