Nicky Haslam’s Biography

Born September 27, 1939, at Great Hundridge Manor, Buckinghamshire, England, third son of diplomat William Heywood Haslam, and Diana Ponsonby, grand-daughter of 7th Earl of Bessborough.

Educated at private schools before going to Eton College, where he won the major art prizes. Attended Corsham Court Art School before training on various newspapers and British Vogue. In 1961 Nicky went to New York with photographer David Bailey and the model Jean Shrimpton, and was hired by American Vogue as assistant to Art Director during the editorship of Diana Vreeland. Two years later he was made Art Director of “Show” magazine, a forerunner of “Vanity Fair”. At this time he starred with Baby Jane Holzer in his great friend Andy Warhol’s film, “Kiss”. Throughout this period, Nicky started decorating his own and friends’ apartments, while in 1965, he collaborated with Richard Avedon on a unique issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

In 1966, Nicky Haslam bought a ranch near Phoenix, Arizona, breeding and showing Arabian horses, and from 1970 combined this with working in Los Angeles as a photographer with various film producers, including Dominic Dunne, while also designing rooms and parties for clients, among them Natalie Wood.

Nicky Haslam returned to London in 1972, having been asked to design and decorate a townhouse for Lord Hesketh. This led to many further commissions, and necessitated the setting up of a fully-fledged architectural and design practice, NH Design,  where he designed for private clients, restaurants, night clubs and even the salon for the Emanuels, the dress designers who were making the dress for the wedding of his cousin, Lady Diana, the Princess of Wales.