Spode brand ambassador Jack @jackkinsey is an interior designer based in the Norfolk countryside, who you may recognise from the BBC show Interior Design Masters. Not afraid to make a statement, Jack loves to expresses himself through bold tablescaping, restoration and timeless interior styling. Read on to get to know Jack and what inspires him to be forever self-expressive...
How do you like to express yourself?
i like to express myself heavily visually. I’ve never been any good at expressing myself through reading or writing - I know I can create visually, in my brain it looks amazing, but to write it down isn’t my strength. Throughout my life I’ve chosen to completely lean into the things that come more naturally to me, rather than trying to force something.
A few years ago, I didn’t know that tablescaping existed and was a hugely celebrated thing, I just did it one day and discovered it was another way of expressing myself - It’s almost as if the table-top is your canvas and everything you style on top is your paints. It has become a massive area I have embraced, and I absolutely love because it comes so naturally. If you find your calling or find something that doesn’t require effort and is something you look forward to doing, I urge you to embrace it.
How does tablescaping bring you joy?
From start to finish the whole thing is a process – it always starts with the fundamentals of dragging a table in and thinking about how you want things placed. It’s a process of adding the layers and taking moments to sit down and see how I feel and imagining how my guests will enjoy it. It’s always the end result of family and friends walking through the doors, being excited and enjoying what I have created for them that brings me the most joy.
What inspires your tablescapes & interior styling?
I find that each year I’m constantly going in another direction of inspiration, but it is social media that mainly inspires me – there’s never been anything quite like it where you can go online, you don’t know what way the algorithm is going to send you, and you find someone new and see what they’re doing and then you find another idea and over time your sub-consciously collecting all these ideas and they eventually grow into your own thing. Social media opens up a whole world of creativity to us. In contrast, however, I am also inspired by nature and being outside. I am always inspired by the seasons, going on walks, taking in the florals and foliage around me.
Before a new project, whatever elements that are talking to me, I’ll think about them all and go onto Photoshop or draw it out with a pen and paper and plot in the ideas together to see how it all looks. I’ve always been into 3D visuals – I like to see the space before it’s done and have something to reference as I’m bringing the vision to life.
How did you get into interior design?
I have always lived in a renovation project. Mum was always ripping up carpets and knocking down walls – she was a real visionary with wherever we lived. When I was younger, mum and dad bought a derelict barn to be our new family home. As a kid I first looked at it and thought it was horrible, not a very nice place to live, and I couldn’t see past the sandy floors and the roof caving in. However, throughout the renovation I was bought in by my mum to do odd jobs and so I followed the whole journey watching mum and dad create this incredible place to live in. That’s what inspired me buy the chapel we’re now renovating – I could now see past the derelict walls and see an end point. Mum and dad are a massive inspiration because I always grew up in these hustle and bustle renovation projects.
What are your tips to others looking to be more self-expressive within their interiors?
Don’t be afraid! If you’re unsure about an idea you have, try it in a small space first. I always start with one corner of a room and then it breaks with that. For example, find an area in your home, such as the bathroom or a guest bedroom that you don’t spend a lot of time in or can just shut the door on, and test out injecting your ideas onto it. And remember, you can always go back to how it was before if you don’t like it.
More from Jack:
Blue & White Amalfi Coast Inspired Tablescape
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A Magical Blue & White Christmas Table
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