Kerrie Hess: Illustrator’s chic home office

The creative tools are never too far away for illustrator Kerrie Hess who let us take a peek inside her chic home office recently; an ultra-feminine, largely monochrome space that is punctuated with flashes of dusty pink. “I have been working from this office for about two and a half years and I honestly still don’t think it’s complete – it’s always evolving!” says Kerrie of the space that comprises the entire lower level of her home.

“I would describe my aesthetic as bright, classic and eclectic. For the office, I was inspired by the interior of a Dior store! I love white, grey, pale pink and metallics,” says Kerrie of the space that once looked extremely different! “When we moved in, the walls of the whole house were beige and the floor in the office was covered in bright orange tiles. We had the entire house spray painted a bright and clean ‘builders white’ inside before moving in, to make life easier.”

The second renovation step for the office involved replacing the orange tiles with whitewashed laminate boards from Bunnings – a practical, sensible choice given Kerrie’s vocation. “As this is the space I am going to be painting and moving large pieces around, it made more sense to install hardwearing laminate rather than proper oak flooring downstairs. I am literally spilling paint every single day! And this surface is perfect for a work space, but still looks fresh and clean.”

The one other significant change was the addition of simple white moulding – a nod to Kerrie’s time in France. “Having lived in Paris in an apartment that had the most beautiful French mouldings, I wanted to bring a little touch of that to both my home and office.” She finished the room with a statement pink couch – her favourite part. “The rest of my home is really neutral, very black white and grey which I find really calming, but the office is the creative space where a pink couch just feels right,” says Kerrie.

“I love being surrounded by art in the space too. My space for painting large originals in my last home was in my garage so having a dedicated painting space with amazing light is my kind of heaven. I sometimes display originals so I can enjoy them before they are sold and leave for their new homes!”

As for the pros and cons of working from home, Kerrie likes the flexibility it offers. “For me, in combining motherhood with work, it just made sense to create a studio at home. My son Marcel is often coming down to the office to draw at my desk and I always feel really lucky that this is possible.” She manages to keep work and home life separate, despite their proximity. “There is a tendency to work more hours than you should when your office is your home space but I have gotten so much better at that lately! I really don’t want to work during evenings and weekends. This is my rule and I am so much happier when I stick to it! You have to have a balance in life.”

For more on Kerrie and her work

 Check out Jen’s home office (also pink!)

Kerrie has designed a new logo for our Instagram styling challenge, 7 Vignettes, starting again on 1 February. Find out more.