Our Expert Q&A series continues with interior designer Minnette Jackson (Instagram: @MinnetteJacksonInteriors). Minnette is based in Houston but has strong Nashville ties: she went to Vanderbilt and started her design career in Music City (click here for a peek of her fabulous home in Belle Meade). She’s wonderfully talented and helped me with many spaces in our old house, including the dining and living room. Minnette’s interiors are all about classic beauty with a modern spin, and we love all of the insights she’s shared below. Thank you, Minnette!
*Image above is from Mary’s former living room
We’ve all been housebound for way too long! What are some easy ways to refresh our interiors?
Isn’t that the truth! The easiest way to quickly update your home is to work with what you have: rearrange your furniture, move art around, restyle your shelves or coffee table. Put something in a place you might not have thought to put it before. Take a small piece of art and tuck it in a shelf, pull a pretty wedding gift out of its dusty storage box (like a bowl or candlesticks) and put them on your coffee table with some large books. If you feel like venturing out of your house you can find fresh flowers or pillows in a beautiful fabric to add layers of color and texture.
*Image above is from the Minnette Jackson Interiors Gallery
What are some of your favorite online resources for home decor?
I so often stick with my to-the-trade resources, but websites like One Kings Lane offer a wonderfully curated selection of goods at a range of price points, and Chairish is my go-to place for finding unique vintage items when I can’t go out in person.
*Images above are from the Minnette Jackson Interiors Gallery
For years it seemed like midcentury modern reigned supreme, then everything was grey, and now we’re reading about the “grand-millennial” look. Do you and your clients pay attention to trends? How do we cut through the noise and develop our own style?
As the saying goes, stick with what you love and it will always work. To develop your own style, it’s important to avoid the “low-hanging fruit” of design. And by that I mean, don’t just look at what everyone else is doing and then try to buy your own version of it off the shelf. Pay attention to details that you like, think about how you live, and hold on to interesting pieces in your home that you like but might not yet know how to make work. Often the interiors that are the most stylish have surprising elements in them.
*Image above is from the Minnette Jackson Interiors Gallery
Who are your design role models? Are there Instagram accounts you follow for inspiration?
I appreciate so many design styles it’s hard to narrow it down to just a few, but I love the work of Albert Hadley, Billy Baldwin, Suzanne Kasler, Ashley Whittaker, and Daniel Romualdez.
*Images above are from the Minnette Jackson Interiors Gallery
It used to be that people clipped photos out of magazines for design inspiration; now we’re bombarded with both digital and print images and it’s so hard to keep track of all the ideas we love. How do you keep everything organized?
It’s tough! I have inspiration tucked everywhere. I have folders on my computer by category where I save images, but I also save them on Pinterest, Instagram, and as screenshots on my phone. I also still have my stack of magazines going back over 10 years!
*Image above is from the Minnette Jackson Interiors Gallery
Is there a color palette you naturally gravitate towards in your designs? We see a lot of beautiful blues and greens in your portfolio.
Absolutely. Blue and green are colors found in nature and I find them both calming and invigorating, so it’s an easy palette to work with.
*Image above is from Mary’s former formal dining room
A blank wall can feel overwhelming to fill, especially because art can be quite the investment. How do you solve the problem of what to put on a wall? Are there artists with whom you collaborate often? What are some resources and/or ideas for art and wall hangings that look great but aren’t an enormous expenditure?
Art is often very personal in a home so a lot of that selection or recommendation usually depends on the client. There are so many wonderful artists and galleries out there, and I have done commissions with Katie Madden and Gina Julian, both in Nashville, sourced beautiful antique silk panels from Jessica Lev Antiques in Houston, and found interesting Texas art with Sarah Foltz at Foltz Fine Art in Houston. While it might seem ideal to have that one big knockout piece for a large space, you can also think beyond the canvas. You can create a nice large visual with items such as a grouping of plates, a scarf or tapestry framed in a pretty way, brackets with a collection of vases or dishes, or an antique screen mounted in just the right spot.
*Image above is from the Minnette Jackson Interiors Gallery
What are the details that end up making a big impact in a room? In other words, what shouldn’t we overlook when decorating a space?
It’s my job to think of every detail, so it’s hard to pick just one. I will say that people who are new to decorating and designing their spaces sometimes have a hard time justifying the cost of upholstery, rugs, and drapery. Think about how much you see, touch, and sit on these pieces. They are the foundation of your room. Quality is important and worth the investment. Beyond that, don’t be afraid of a little color on your walls. A coat of paint can have a bigger impact than you think.
*Image above is from the Minnette Jackson Interiors Gallery
How do you know when a room is “finished?” It’s so hard to stop ourselves from constantly making tweaks!
Oh gosh, this is hard even for me. In my own home I am constantly changing and tweaking things. But in a client’s home, you learn enough about their needs that you know when it’s time to stop fussing over details and walk away.
*Images above are from the Minnette Jackson Interiors Gallery
What’s your dream purchase for your own home one day?
The answer to that is somewhat evolving. I have a few unique items on my eternal shopping list, but right now, I’d really love to have a stunning landscape design to surround our home.