At home with Betty Jackson

The iconic fashion designer shares interior tips, colour advice and a few home truths with Annie Deakin.

I live in... a house in west London as it’s my favourite part of town. It’s a Victorian villa on the front of the house and a modern two-storey glass box which we built on the back.

I like... the space we have created. It’s full of light and is very nice to spend time in.

My interior style is… simple. I introduce individual pieces in key colours. I like fluid shapes in items such as vases and lamps complemented by soft accessories in block purples and metallic hues. Tones such as vivid lime and bright purple bring a new colourful dimension to a space. Texture is also key so in my new collection at Debenhams you will find items such as throws in velvet as well as quilting.

I couldn’t say... which is the best room in my house. I love the ground floor, but the bedroom is pretty good too.

I spend most of my time at... the office.

I am most proud of designing... my glassware range for Debenhams. It is really nice, but then the colours on our range of towels are also truly fabulous.

I could never throw out... an old French tea towel that I had bought from a market. But then there are times that actually I wouldn’t mind throwing everything out and starting again.

I don’t have... any wallpaper in my house but some of my friends have and it works well for them. One of my friends has a marvellous swimming fish one.

Trend-wise, there are... two extremes; craft pieces and pieces influenced by modern art. I’ve tried to incorporate the craft element into my collection at Debenhams with the hand-made vases to keep my collection on trend.

Change an interior on a budget with... great accessories or just one accent piece. My lustre lamp at Debenhams in purple or green has a round base and tall stem to give a contemporary and sleek edge to a home or a set of cushions in different fabrics and colours can instantly transform a living space.

This season's collection for Debenhams includes... statement hand-made vases and an exquisite range of colour infused glasses as well as two-tone crockery. The colours and the textures come from things I like, and then it’s a collaborative process with the design team at Debenhams to finally pull the collection together.

My favourite item is the... the jacquard Tuscany bed linen this season. It is good quality and very different from most bed linen on the high street. The plum and floral print makes it a great statement for any bedroom.

Bring in the colours of the season with... a lamp, vase or a cushion as a focus item. Lime and purple are great colours to use as accent colours.

I moved from fashion into interiors because... I think environment is very important so I was delighted to work with Debenhams on this range. It’s a natural progression. Fabric and texture with colour and shape; we use the same basics with clothing.

Fashion and interiors are similar because... we build a story by choosing colour and texture in the same way. But the lead times are much longer in the world of interiors.

Betty Jackson's Black Collection is available at www.debenhams.com or 0844 800 8877

Annie Deakin is interiors writer for sofa and interior design website mydeco.com.