Q&A: artist Jess on why it's Whitby all the way

Describe your home? My home is modern. I live in a spacious apartment in a fairly new building. The living, kitchen and dining area is in one large room. I didn't realise how much I would love this until I moved in.

It is the perfect space for having friends and family over. Despite my artwork being all about colour and pattern, my home is really quite different. It is full of black and white artwork such as a large upside down cat screen print by Le Gun and an adorable rabbit print by HAM. My furniture and accessories are fairly monochromatic too and by Scandinavian brands such as House Doctor, Men at Work and HAY. I do have some colour in there

too, in the form of the odd print and accessory. I really like plates from Anthropologie and my teal velvet sofa is my favourite purchase to date.

What is on your interiors wish list ? I would love an Eames lounge chair and ottoman. It would be such a stylish addition to my home, and it would be the perfect little space to sit, get cosy and read. I am so bad at looking after real plants so a fantastic fake plants that looks good all year round would be nice.

Which household items could you not live without? My slow cooker. I am always so busy and it's not easy to maintain a healthy diet when dashing around with little time to cook.

Which artists and makers do you most admire? I love the work of Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co. She has such sophisticated colour sense and has had a massive influence on stationery trends. I also really appreciate the work of Anna Hymas. Her paintings are so colourful and energetic. I have one of her winter prints that she created for the London Transport Museum in 2017.

What is your favourite building and why? That's hard as I love architecture. I am obsessed with all things Paris, and some of the buildings, particularly the cathedrals there are just stunning. I'll say the Notre Dame. It's satisfying to look at due to its symmetry, and is lovely to draw.

Is the coast vital to your work and how is easy is to run your business from there? The beautiful surroundings in which I grew up inspired me to start a business here and have since become what I am associated with most as an

artist. Running a business from Whitby is very easy. I have a studio space not far from home, and create all of my designs here as well as ship out all stock to my lovely customers. I've had numerous trips to London this

year so if I was based further south I would probably travel a bit less, but then the cost of running my business would be much higher. Whitby isn't the most accessible location but I can't think of anywhere I would rather come home to after a trip away.

What and where is your ideal home? I love the Yorkshire coast more than anywhere else I have visited in the world, so I feel very lucky to have an apartment in a location I adore. Later in life I'd love to stay in the area but get somewhere bigger, with a garden, open plan living space and, of course, a sea view.