india hicks island style – you need this book!

There are quite a few new beautiful design books debuting this spring that I’m dying to add to my bookshelf and at the top of my list is India Hicks’ Island Style.  For many of you, the fabulous Ms. Hicks needs no introduction; she’s the daughter of famed British interior designer David Hicks, was a flower girl in her godfather Prince Charles’ wedding to Princess Diana and has a line of beauty products, jewelry and accessories that embody island living.  Most of us know her best by the fabulously chic home and life she has built on Harbour Island in the Bahamas with her husband David Flint and their five children.  Not only does she have an extraordinary background, but she’s got impeccable taste and style.

Technically, this is not a design book, but rather a story about her life, what it’s like to live in paradise and how her home has evolved into what it is today, with beautiful and inspiring images of the home itself, the island and her family.  What I love most is that every single item within her home is tied to a memory.  For me, there’s no better way to decorate than with the things you love and that have meaning for you.  There is so much design, decorating and entertaining inspiration to be gleaned from this book, even if you aren’t lucky enough to live close to the sea.  With Mother’s Day right around the corner, this would make a beautiful, thoughtful gift idea!

“My house is simply a series of rooms.  What makes it a home are the memories, the objects, and, above all, my family” – India Hicks

I never tire of seeing images of Hicks’ dining room – namely, the stunning collection of family photos on wall-to-wall gallery ledges.  It’s simple yet so dramatic:

All images via India Hicks Island Style and Hibiscus Hill Harbour Island