Instagram star Jack D. March shows us round his York home

Degrees and impressive-sounding letters after a name are not evidence of a truly great interior designer. They are born not made and Jack D March is living proof of that. He has no formal training in the subject and his day job is working for his family’s car company, but in his spare time he is an Instagram sensation who wows his followers with pictures of his fabulous, ever-changing home.

His flair for styling, his DIY and photography skills and an ability to make a cheap B&M Bargains table look a million dollars have caught the imagination of fans who look forward to his posts on the social media platform.

He now has over 22,000 followers and collaborates on another Instagram account – Story of My Home, which includes games, events and workshops. He also has a brilliant lifestyle blog, Life in a Teacup, which can be found at www.jackdmarch.com. This features everything from interiors, his love of travel and visiting beautiful hotels to enjoyable afternoon teas and championing small businesses.

For Jack, 29, reworking his flat, dreaming up style on a budget ideas and sharing on social media are ways to express his creativity. He has a degree in 3D contemporary design and after graduating he became a ceramicist specialising in teapots.

“I loved doing the teapots but unfortunately the income wasn’t enough to give me what I needed so I ended up working in the family business,” he says. “Then, when I bought my flat in York, there was nowhere for my kiln, so I use the decorating and Instagram as a creative outlet.”

His two-bedroom apartment in central York had been a rental property when he bought it five years ago. It was, he says, “a magnolia box” but with every penny invested in the bricks and mortar, he was forced to come up with thrifty ways of transforming his first home.

His efforts and his Instagram posts were spotted by researchers looking for candidates to star in the BBC’s Best House in Town. Viewers were impressed with his flair and his ability to blend a diverse mix of styles, from contemporary to vintage.

“My mum loves antique shops and junk shops so that’s something I grew up with and she was always changing things about and decorating so I’ve definitely inherited that from her. I’d say my style is eclectic and I think if you buy what you like then it usually goes together.”

The open-plan living space is now painted in Farrow & Ball’s Palma Grey and has two distinct zones. What was a dated and dowdy kitchen has been replaced, though Jack lived with it for over two years until he had saved for what he wanted.

The grey cabinets from Lockanna, a new breakfast bar, ceramic sink and metro tiles are stylish and understated while the wall is livened up with a collection of favourite plates. “Being a ceramicist, I love plates,” he says, adding that he is especially fond of Emma Bridgewater, Anthropologie pottery by Lou Rota and vintage china.

One of the main features of the sitting area is a huge, wall-hung mirror that is a reminder of the stately homes that Jack visited with his grandmother as a child.

“It was £40 in Homebase reduced from £120. I had a two-seater Mini convertible outside and there was no way I was going to get it in that but fortunately my mum and dad came to the rescue and got it home for me,” he says.

The sofas are from Laura Ashley and the dark wood side table was £12 from a vintage shop. “I am a massive fan of dark wood, which is great because not many other people are, so brown wood furniture is generally quite cheap.”

The master bedroom has a panel of Enchantment Luzon wallpaper from Thibaut and the bed is from Feather & Black via eBay. The picture on the wall is by Mineheart and there is a hand-me-down chest of drawers that Jack revived with turquoise paint.

As the room demanded a chandelier, it got one from Argos. The spare bedroom is in greys and soft pinks, with Ostrich feet lamps from Homesense the standout items. Jack made the dog silhouettes and there’s a pug in honour of his own pet, Hector. The picture frame was £1.50 from The Range.

The hall was a dead and dull space but is now a playful visual feast with palm wallpaper from B&Q, a faux Tiger skin rug and a pink cabinet that he made to hide the ugly storage heater.

The bathroom is one of Jack’s latest projects. He couldn’t afford to change the whole suite but a new £35 bath panel from Better Bathrooms and new taps have made a huge difference.

The flamingo on the tiles is ingenious. He created it in Photoshop and then had it printed onto a vinyl car sticker. The side table was £10 from B&M Bargains and painted in Little Greene’s Orange Aurora.

You’ll find all this on Instagram, where Jack is to be found for almost six hours a day. “I enjoy it and that’s where I spend most evenings,” he says. “I don’t watch TV much and Instagram is a much more inspirational and positive place than Facebook.”

You can find Jack on Instagram at jackdmarch and also at storyofmyhome. His Life in a Teacup blog can be read at www.jackdmarch.com

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