From Stay-at-Home Mum to Colour Consultant: Meet Jess Beasley

How renovating her own home sparked something bigger- leading Jess to retrain in interiors, discover her love of colour and build a creative career of her own.

Jess Beasley | Colour Consultant + Founder, @JESSA _Interiors
Mid-North Coast, NSW

Sometimes a career change starts with a big plan. Other times, it begins much closer to home.

For Jess Beasley, renovating her own family home sparked a thought: Could I actually do this as a career?

At the time, Jess was a stay-at-home mum to her two young boys, Mack and Kye, who are just 14 months apart. Before having children, she'd built a career in PR and marketing, so creativity had always been part of her working life, but interiors represented an entirely new direction.

When the time came to think about returning to work, Jess knew she wanted to try something different.

She took the leap, enrolled in Design School and, not long after graduating, stepped straight into the interiors industry.

Today, she works three days a week as a Colour Consultant for a project home builder, while also growing her own interior decoration business, JESSA Interiors.

Quick Facts 

🎓 Design School Graduate: Group 28, 2024, Trainer Holly Miskimmin
📍 Location: Mid-North Coast, NSW
🏠 Today: Colour Consultant + Founder, JESSA Interiors
♉ Star Sign: Taurus
🧡 Current Colour Obsession: Terracotta
🖥️ Most-Used Creative Tools: Canva
✨ Favourite Designer: Nasim Koerting
🏺 Current Creative Obsession: Jess Sellinger Ceramics
💭 Best Advice: “What’s the worst they can say? No?”

Before Design School

Before Design School, Jess was at home with her two young sons, doing what she describes as both the most fulfilling and hardest job she'd ever done.

Before becoming a mum, Jess had worked within creative industries, including public relations agencies and as a marketing manager in the education sector.

But it wasn't until she began renovating her own home that interiors started to feel like something more than an interest.

With her boys only 14 months apart, Jess had spent the past few years very much in “mum mode”. As she began thinking about eventually returning to work, she realised she didn't necessarily want to return to the career she'd left behind.

She wanted to try something new.

Jess had been following Design School on Instagram and loved what it represented. The flexibility of remote study worked around family life and, after speaking with the team, she felt confident she'd found the right place to start.

Still, there were nerves.

It had been a few years since she'd studied or been in the workforce, and Jess wondered whether she'd be able to keep up.

But she decided to give it a go.

And those nerves didn't last long.

Finding Her Thing: Colour

Jess says studying interiors turned out to be every bit as enjoyable as she'd hoped.

“It really is as fun as it looks. I thoroughly enjoyed all the course modules and can confidently say doing this course was the best thing I have ever done for myself.”

One part of the course stood out in particular: colour.

Module 8 became Jess's favourite, and she was surprised by just how much learning about the application of colour in interiors resonated with her.

Looking at where her career has taken her since, it feels pretty fitting.

Colour is now one of Jess's strongest skills and a major part of what she does every day.

From the Classroom Straight Into the Industry

^{Photography by Lauren McConnal} 

Since graduating from Design School, Jess has stepped straight into a role as a Colour Consultant for a project home builder.

Clients spend a full day with her selecting the interior and exterior finishes for their new homes. Jess's role is to ensure those selections feel cohesive, reflect the client and, importantly, stay within budget.

^{Photography by Lauren McConnal} 

She also works closely with suppliers, estimators and draftspersons to help bring each client's home to life.

And some of the skills that once formed part of her Design School coursework are now things she uses almost every day.

Technical drawing has become particularly valuable. Jess regularly interprets plans and technical drawings, while her client appointments have her creating mood boards and colour schemes for a wide variety of homes.

“The fact that I have been able to jump straight into a role in the industry, straight after graduating, has been so amazing!”

Life Now: Family, Colour Consulting + JESSA Interiors

Today, Jess has created a working life that blends family with a growing career in interiors.

She spends three days a week working as a Colour Consultant, with the rest of her time divided between her boys and taking on her own clients through JESSA Interiors.

And despite now spending her days helping other people create their homes, one project remains particularly special: her own family home.

Jess says she's incredibly proud of the home she's created and feels the finished design speaks volumes about her family's personality and the way they live.

There's something lovely about that coming full circle.

The renovation that first made Jess wonder whether interiors could become a career is now the backdrop to a life where she's doing exactly that.

^{Photography by Lauren McConnal} 

More Than One Way to Work in Design

One of the biggest things Jess has discovered since graduating is just how many different directions a career in design can take.

“There are so many avenues you can go down with design. It really can open your world up and provide so many opportunities for you.”

For Jess, that currently means combining an industry role with slowly building a business of her own.

Her biggest challenge?

Time.

Between a fast-paced role, raising two young boys and JESSA Interiors, there never seem to be quite enough hours in the day.

But Jess is looking ahead, with plans to create more time for her own business and the client work she loves.

What Jess Would Tell Someone Considering Design School

Her advice is simple:

“Just do it!”

Jess credits the supportive Design School community with helping those initial doubts disappear quickly and says the practical, real-world approach left her feeling confident in her skills and ready to tackle the industry.

Her other piece of advice feels particularly fitting for someone who decided to change direction and give something new a go:

“What’s the worst they can say? No?”

Do your research. Ask the question. Find people who think the same way as you. And don't be afraid to look for another way to make something possible.

For someone who started Design School wondering whether she'd be able to keep up after a few years away from study and the workforce, Jess has certainly answered that question.

What’s Next?

Jess's next goal is to continue building JESSA Interiors.

She loves working directly with clients and would like to create more space for her own interior decoration work alongside the career she's already building within the industry.

And considering how much has changed since she took that first leap into Design School, we have a feeling there's plenty more to come. 

Find Jess:
Jessa Interiors
Mid-North Coast, NSW
Instagram: @jessa_interiors

Considering Your Own Creative Next Step?

Jess’s story is a lovely reminder of where taking that first step can lead. 

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