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There appears to be no guile in [Nicholas Haslam] and only a little disappointment once his physical appeal had begun to fade. Blessed with an ability to be as amused by himself as by anyone else, he notes that after telling his plastic surgeon to provide \"just a few little tucks here and there\", the latter jotted on his notepad: \"N Haslam. Full face-lift.\" On the day of surgery, his last words before the anaesthetic kicked in were to murmur, \"Bryan, do more than we agreed.\" Fortunately, unlike many great beauties of this and earlier eras, Haslam also has considerable charm and it fairly pours off the pages of his book.

Old Etonian [Nicholas Haslam], 67, who lives in Chelsea and has several shops in Pimlico, has made a name for himself as a bon viveur and man about town over many years. His clients include the Queen, Prince Charles, Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart and Bryan Ferry.

Since then [Nicholas Haslam] says he's focused on \"rooms that somehow absorb the necessities of everyday life.\" Judging by Sheer Opulence, that means rooms with ample upholstery, an unusual mix of antiques, faded Aubusson carpets (he dislikes Oriental rugs) and a few of his favorite things, such as \"string-colored linen and painted wood that looks wrecked and lived in.\" What makes Haslam's style interesting is his penchant for breaking the rules. He'll fashion a chandelier out of an old three- pronged anchor and make curtains out of lining materials or cheap linen (\"they hold their folds and don't droop\"). He'll apply brown corrugated paper to a wall beneath a chair rail and then paint and lacquer it. If Haslam doesn't like a good piece of antique furniture -- he despises most English 18th- and 19th-century pieces -- he'll gladly paint it. In one dining room, he treated the Chippendale-style chairs to a coat of off-white paint. The move \"took some courage,\" he admits, but was worth it to give the room \"grandeur with a modern edge.\"

Since then [Nicholas Haslam] says he has focused on \"rooms that somehow absorb the necessities of everyday life.\" Judging by Sheer Opulence, that means rooms with ample upholstery, an unusual mix of antiques, faded Aubusson carpets (he dislikes Oriental rugs) and a few of his favorite things, such as \"string-colored linen and painted wood that looks wrecked and lived in.\"

Since then [Nicholas Haslam] says he's focused on \"rooms that somehow absorb the necessities of everyday life.\" Judging by \"Sheer Opulence,\" that means rooms with ample upholstery, an unusual mix of antiques, faded Aubusson carpets (he dislikes Oriental rugs) and a few of his favorite things, such as \"string-colored linen and painted wood that looks wrecked and lived in.\" What makes Haslam's style interesting is his penchant for breaking the rules. He'll fashion a chandelier out of an old three-pronged anchor and make curtains out of lining materials or cheap linen (\"they hold their folds and don't droop\"). He'll apply brown corrugated paper to a wall beneath a chair rail and then paint and lacquer it.

Haslam writes emotionally about Great Hundridge, the manor farm his father sold while young [Nicky Haslam] was in his first \"half\" at Eton, and poetically about the landscape in the South of France, where Michael Wishart, author of High Diver, was Haslam's lover and Mediterranean mentor. Not all of his love affairs have ended well but happiness came with the purchase of the Hunting Lodge, a small but perfect folly where Haslam is at home as he has perhaps never been since he left Great Hundridge. With his changes of environs, Haslam studiously alters his appearance, appearing brass blonde when he hit London in his teens and more recently, back in the capital, face-lifted and with jet-black hair in faithful imitation of the pop star Liam Gallagher. When Haslam tired of that look and appeared more his real age with silver hair, Gallagher said: \"What's happened, Nick? You don't look a bit like me any more.\" The looks that Haslam has devised for his or others' habitats are as various as his own.

PHOTO 3; ITS TIME IS NOW: People are more ready to spend now than they were when [Nicholas Haslam]'s book was published. NO RACKET: Duck squeegee from Ettore helps keep your shower clean. SPLASH OF COLOR: Flowers have an exaggerated impact in black and white surroundings in Michael Formica and [Bob Hiemstra]'s condo. Photo courtesy Elle Decor/Bob Hiemstra