Bravo has a successful formula for choosing the hosts for their hit reality shows: beauty + knowledge of the industry. For Project Runway and Top Chef, Bravo chose gorgeous former models Heidi Klum and Padma Lakshmi as hosts respectively. Heidi had a clear connection to fashion as she was a supermodel, doing runway shows for many major clothing designers in the industry. Padma already had a food connection, as she has written cookbooks in the past and previously hosted a show on the Food Network.
So when it came to Top Design, India seemed like a natural choice. She's an attractive former model, the daughter of celebrated British interior designer David Hicks, and a fairly decent interior designer herself. She is also the second cousin and god-daughter of HRH Prince Charles (on her mum's side).
India lives on Harbour Island in the Bahamas with her partner David Flint Wood (a former ad executive) and their four children. They have a main house along with two guesthouses and a pavillion (shown above and below) that they sometimes rent out. And as you can see, she's got the "British West Indies Meets Shabby Chic Beach House" style down pat:
In looking at the rooms above and the den and bedrooms below, we'd say she's an amateur designer at best--which is a bit surprising considering who her dad is. It's all nice, but there's nothing to WOW you.
As for her gig on Top Design, we still think one problem was a lack of personality on India's part. In fact, her home isn't exactly chock full of it either. We also wonder whether her British aristocracy makes her a bit "aloof without mystery" such that the audience can't relate to her.
But who are we kidding? She must live a really beautiful life on that island. After all, we'd happily take in this view every day:
Wish we were there!
Photos from India's book Island Life and her website, www.hibiscushillharbourisland.com. For more photos, there's a nice slideshow on the website for Cookie magazine. It's another great magazine that bit the dust recently, so be sure to check it out before the website goes down.
