'Simple, neutral and timeless': Inside artist and author Kerrie Hess' stylish Brisbane home

Fashion illustrator, artist and Joy in the Little Things author Kerrie Hess lives in a bright, light-filled Queenslander by the riverside in Brisbane; it’s where a Hamptons-style white-washed exterior leads you into a world of French-inspired decor.

She has lived here with her husband Peter, a dietician and their 12-year-old son Marcel since buying the house in 2016. 

Hess, who has worked from home for the past 20 years of her career (including a two-year stint in Paris in 2010), says finding a residence that could accommodate a work office was appealing.  

“Everyone has a different dream about what they want in their house, but I have never had the space to do a work studio properly, and the opportunity to paint big pieces from home is my happy place,” says Hess, who has worked with luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Cartier and Tiffany & Co. 

A dusty-pink exterior door leads to her art studio. Inside you’ll find an abundance of canvases, paints and vintage fashion books for inspiration. Pale grey wooden flooring replaced the original orange tiles, and she loves the way the light bounces around the room – making it a perfect place to film her online masterclass workshops. You’ll also find new works she’s just finished painting: The Eyes Quatre and a large watercolour hydrangea print titled Maison Fleur.

“The tones I have chosen for my work office are similar to The Langham Melbourne suite I designed,” Hess says. 

“Both have been inspired by images I have seen of Dior boutiques and a Dior atelier in France. It’s all dusty pink with touches of gold and white and a pale grey.” 

A handmade couture gown by Brisbane designer and friend George Wu sits elegantly on a mannequin in the studio; a piece she wore while on a job at the Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris. 

“It’s in the original shots of the Langham suites; it’s hand-beaded and my only precious piece of couture I love looking at every day,” Hess says. 

The mood changes in the living area upstairs. Hess focuses on a monochrome palette of grey, white and black to give her the most comfort. 

Original walnut-toned floors run throughout, while art and furniture purchased from Paris also feature. Mouldings have been added to the walls to honour an ornate French style. 

“I purposely wanted the upstairs home to be filled with white and grey calming tones,” Hess says. “All the art I have chosen is black and white. While I love being inspired by colour in my work, I needed a living space that doesn’t remind me of work. I wanted simple, neutral and classic, timeless pieces.”

Hess describes her home style as a mixture of minimal and ornate, where vignettes are carefully curated within the bedrooms and living area.  “I love to have a few pieces in each room that spark joy and that I associate with happiness,” Hess says. 

There’s a large black-and-white print of Grace Kelly in Hess’ lounge room above a white buffet with lampshades, while beautiful chandeliers and hooded vintage white chairs purchased in Paris take her back in time. 

“These pieces from Paris remind me of a wonderful time in my life,” Hess says.  

When she left Paris in 2012, her landlord asked her to take a mirror she found in the apartment’s cellar downstairs. 

“It was covered in soot and dirt and the owner said I’d be doing him a favour if I took it with me,” she recalls. 

“It’s the most beautiful mirror. It’s a vintage ornate piece, typical of a baroque French mirror that you would find above a fireplace. It’s now in my dressing room. I knew I wouldn’t find anything like it in Australia and I love how it’s got a typical French feeling to it,” Hess says.

A spare bedroom is now a dressing room where Hess likes to display prized fashion pieces on simple copper freestanding hangars.  “I put all my fabulous shoes and dresses I adore on these hangars. It’s also to remind myself why it is better to have less and buy better and invest in good pieces when you can,” Hess says. 

In the bedroom, a wall of her own art appears in black and white, textured white linen elegantly drapes the master bed and silver curtains add a shimmer of romance. But it’s a a precious sugar bowl handed down by her grandmother that is her most sentimental possession. “It’s in gold and Tiffany-blue tones and the only piece of colour in my bedroom,” she says. “I keep all my special pieces of jewellery in it.”