From rock stars to royalty, Nicky Haslam discusses 'A Designer's Life'

As adept at sumptuous louche grandeur as he is with classic English style, its no wonder that famed British interior designer Nicky Haslam is a favorite of both rock stars and royalty. Born in a Buckinghamshire manor and educated at Eton, he worked for Diana Vreeland at Vogue and raised horses in the American Southwest before returning to England and beginning his career in earnest during the glam-tacular 70s. Lavishly illustrated, the new book "Nicky Haslam: A Designers Life" ($55, Rizzoli) covers his early days, the inspirations that shaped his style and the timeless designs that are his trademark.

You've designed and organized many glamorous events and parties; what's your favorite way to entertain at your own home?

My favorite way to entertain is without constrictions. A dinner for six may morph into 10. Just have an expandable showy first course (say, mousse of foie gras) and a simple main course any form of sausage and plenty of potatoes and salad will do. I like having parties that just go on and nobody bothers with food. Most of all, I like to eat outside whenever possible.

Can you briefly explain your view on the difference between taste and style?

Taste is what you are born with, though you may not know it. Style is looking, learning and refining.

Is there a room or place that you consider the most beautiful you've ever seen?

The hall at the Sanssouci Palace [in Potsdam] is a masterpiece of colors, finishes and false perspective scaling. And Cole Porters tobacco brown library in his Waldorf Towers apartment in New York, designed by Billy Baldwin, took my breath away every time I drank Gibsons with Cole there.

You often repurpose items in unexpected ways. Can you offer some guidance on how to do that?

As a rule, almost anything thats meant to be outside looks good inside. The opposite is, I fear, not so. Indoor things rarely work outdoors, unless youre edging toward the surreal.

The '70s have returned to the fashion world and now to home decor. What should we look for in the attic or the second-hand shop from that period?

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From rock stars to royalty, Nicky Haslam discusses 'A Designer's Life'