An impromptu visit to Ashburton during a family visit last week turned into a Decmatic field trip with an exciting discovery.

Ashburton is a cute old village on the borders of Dartmoor and is home to what appears to be the densest collection of antique and home decor stores outside or Chelsea Harbour. The discovery? Nestling among the antique shops was a little ray of modernity in the shape of Salty’s Studio.

Salty’s Studio creates a lovely range of designs which find their ways onto greetings cards, prints, mugs and tea towels. Most of the designs have a west country slant. Do you have a strong opinion on cream tea etiquette? Salty has you covered. Want to represent your ends? Ditto (as long as you mean a river not a postcode.)

Jim Salter - the eponymous Salty - explained to me that in this one room he designs at the counter on a large Apple monitor; he screen prints in a workspace behind a partition one one side of the room and then displays everything for sale on the other side. All beautifully streamlined.

Not only are the designs top notch but Mr Salter also does his bit for the planet, printing on recycled card and wrapping in compostable film.

This is yet another reason why supporting independent makers and artists makes sense: compared to big brands, they’re more likely to sacrifice a little profit to maintain a principle. When it’s your name above the door, it matters.

Want to be more Decmatic?

Want a nourishing shot of inspiration and ideas like this injected directly to your inbox every week? Subscribe for free here >

Salty’s Studio

Want to be more Decmatic?

Make your own: Red-Blue chair

DECMATIC