Why Studio Kiln swapped Cornwall for London

Even in 2026, some people get sniffy about the idea of running a design studio outside of London. Especially somewhere like Falmouth, 300 miles away on the west coast of England. And yet that's exactly where Studio Kiln decided to set up shop, back in 2022. And since then, it's all gone surprisingly well.

The creative practice has won a number of awards and built a strong reputation for its branding and digital work, such as its particle system for BAFTA. It's all powerful proof that you don't need to be anywhere near the M25 to prosper.

So our ears pricked up when we heard, recently, that the studio was taking on space in London. We caught up with Nathan Smith, co-founder and creative director of Studio Kiln, to find out why.

Reasons for moving

The main reason, Nathan explains, had nothing to do with Cornwall itself, but where its creatives actually were. "The team had been spread out for a while," he says. "And in a way, that felt like proof of what we'd set out to do. People were joining us from all over the UK, not just Cornwall, showing that creativity didn't need to sit in one place. It meant people could live where they wanted rather than where the job dictated."

What cemented things was going through review conversations with each team member. "Almost every one of them, without any prompting, brought up wanting an easier way to get together in person," Nathan recalls. "Hearing that pattern repeat across separate, unconnected conversations made it obvious this wasn't a preference of one or two people. It was something the whole team needed."

He follows this with an interesting admission. "Whilst we'll always believe design inspiration and community are found outside cities, being in Cornwall meant fewer chances to bump into that scene day to day, and if we're honest, there were times it felt a bit isolating on a personal level."

Now, that's been reversed. "We’re really enjoying being able to go to more events and meet up with more friends and creatives," he enthuses. "The main watch out now is that we don’t become part of the same echo chamber we initially felt excited about escaping."

A gradual shift

Just as interesting as the reasons for the studio's move have been the mechanics. In a nutshell, it's been a gradual shift rather than a single, sudden leap.

"About six months ago we got access to a shared co-working space in London, somewhere the team could come up and down to use whenever they needed," Nathan explains. "Then last month we took on our own studio space within that building, which felt like the real turning point."

Right now, they're still in mid-transition, splitting time between there and their place in Falmouth. "There isn't one date we'd point to as 'the move'," he clarifies. "It's been more of a slow shift in weight from one place to the other, but by the end of the year, we expect to have fully moved."

Challenges and advice

As you might expect, none of this has been exactly stress-free. "Running two spaces at once while we transition is its own logistical challenge," notes Nathan. "The real cost and real coordination in keeping both going properly."

But the main difficulty was really about the team, not the buildings. "Everything came down to how hard it had become to keep people connected when they were spread across the country and the studio itself was somewhere quite remote to get to. Cornwall means a lot to me, but solving that took priority."

So what advice would they offer another studio weighing up a similar move? "Look at where the pressure is actually coming from before you decide," responds Nathan. "For us, it wasn't the work or the clients; it was the team, drawn from all over the UK, wanting to be closer together. Once we understood that, moving became less about London itself and more about finding somewhere that could hold that wider group together."