BAR NONE

As David Hicks celebrates 25 years in the industry, the unparalleled designer is gearing up for his next big move.

- Words ELIZA O'HARE

DAVID HICKS MAY BE KNOWN for deeply comforting interiors, subliminal symmetrical rigour and a clean, warm palette, but when he first started out in the business more than 20 years ago, the Australian design landscape looked very different. “It was either very minimal, precise and structured, or there was a lot of English chintz with European antiques and Asian artefacts,” he explains. “There weren’t as many designers then, but it was still highly competitive as there weren’t as many projects either!”

By 2000, David knew design was the only path for him. He took the leap and opened his business out of a spare room in his Melbourne apartment. “I had a landline, just a slim white Telstra phone — with call waiting!” he says. “Plus a drawing board and a fax machine with dial-up internet.” It was definitely the good old days.