Jess from Studio Colt

You'll find Studio Colt in a small, converted school, nestled in between an old church and a babbling brook in Newlyn. On a blazing hot day in July, it's refreshingly cool inside: the kind of chill that comes from old stones and high ceilings. We’re here to meet Jess, the freelance designer and art director who crafted the bright, bold papier-mache nasturtiums in our AW26 photography. 

Jess shares the studio with her friend and creative partner, a copywriter. In a truly Cornish move, they found it through a kayaking connection - Chris from The Cornish Camera Co, who also works with Seasalt on our shoots, had recently renovated the space. They have nearly finished making it their own. The panelling has been painted the perfect blue, the shelves are charmingly styled, and a huge cedar table just awaits some benches.

And Newlyn is more than its history; it has a vibrant artistic community that pulls together. "We're very lucky in Cornwall that there's a huge support for new projects; everyone is always excited about others' work. We're at the end of the line, and it draws all sorts of people, but they tend to share a desire for a slower, more crafted, more creative life." 

The current plan is deliberately fluid, but excitingly broad: to create a physical hub of making, writing, and art-viewing, wine-drinking and workshopping. "We called it Studio Colt because it's the year of the horse, and because we're going to start with energy and play. We'll see what lands, then grow and progress." 

In a harbour town famous for its fine art heritage, is it hard for a creative space to make a mark? Jess hopes Studio Colt will bring something new to the mix, focusing on objects that tend a little more towards the functional, and with an outlook that embraces both personal and brand expression. "I did fine art at Falmouth and did practice for a bit. I felt that with art direction and set design, I was fundamentally making installations, just in a commercial setting. The narrative of materials, the history they bring, objects that tell stories: all these things fit into a commercial realm as well."

The ideal day is that we both do a yoga class down the road, then we have a swim and come to the studio. And then at the end of the day, we'd finish and go to the Newlyn Filmhouse and have a glass of wine. 

I'm obsessed by the antique shops – they're worth a tour. I also love Meadows Studios, with functional and decorative pieces, and they also design kitchens.  

The food scene's incredible: Argoe, Lovetts, Jelbert's ice-cream. These are all newer relative to the long history of the town, but you also have the things that always existed like the beautiful, locally caught and sourced fish. 

We're close to Penzance, an amazingly functional town, with everything you need: my butcher, which has been there for ages, fill-it-up shops and the grocers. I can do my shopping without going to a supermarket and say hello to everyone on the way.