Style guru Nicky hunts treasures in splendid isolation

Cometh the hour, cometh the designer. the ever-resourceful Nicky haslam, whose clients have included the Prince of Wales, Sir mick Jagger and Sir Rod Stewart, is embarking on a virtual isolation treasure hunt to find items of furniture for his new home.

I can reveal that a kind friend has given him a grace-and-favour cottage on the Daylesford estate in Gloucestershire which he can use for the rest of his life.

‘I have been given a beautiful Georgian house,’ Nicky, 80, told me from his West London flat.

‘It has three bedrooms and is all on one level so ideal for me, and it has a garden.’

Nicky was heartbroken last year when he had to give up his 16th century hunting Lodge in hampshire, which he had occupied for 40 years.

he had filled it with antique furniture, artwork and books and installed Regency Gothic Revival seats in the garden.

But he was forced to return the house to the National trust and sell the furnishings at a Bonhams auction in November.

Now he has been spending his time productively in solitary isolation, scouring the online auction website eBay and shopping online. he bought four bookcases a few weeks ago and also a chest of drawers. Nicky has a good eye for a bargain and has even found cartridge paper on eBay that he can use for his painting. ‘Cartridge paper is perfect for watercolours,’ he tells me.

‘I do plan to shop more on eBay for items for my new house such as wardrobes and beds, particularly now all the salesrooms and furniture shops are closed. my furniture in the lodge wouldn’t have been right for a Georgian cottage anyway, so I am starting again.’

he doesn’t regret selling anything last year but is now relieved that not all the items he wanted to sell were accepted by the auctioneers, such as some chairs, tables, and stools.

‘Like everyone else, I am just looking forward to this horrible time being over,’ he says.

‘I actually feel very lucky to have such generous friends.’