David Hicks emerged as the most influential interior designer of his generation, known for a style documented in his books and his son's 2009 biography. Hicks was born in 1929 in Coggeshall, Essex and studied art and design in London before launching his career decorating his own London home in 1954. His early clients mixed aristocracy, media, and fashion figures like Vidal Sassoon and Helena Rubinstein, and he married Lady Pamela Mountbatten in 1960, going on to design carpets for Windsor Castle and decorate an apartment for the Prince of Wales.