While most of us were organising our sock drawer or eventually getting down to the bottom of the washing pile during the first Covid-19 pandemic lockdown Ffion Gruffudd was hatching a plan to make her childhood property dream become a reality. While working from home at her Carmarthenshire property in a stable block that she had converted, the urge to renovate struck again and this time it was to create something that had been a lifelong ambition, and there just happened to be an empty barn on site that could facilitate it. Ffion says: " When I was really young I loved music, playing the piano and making up songs and I always wanted a
music studio. I’ve got a really eclectic taste in music so growing up there’d be a lot of jazz and soul, and The Beatles listened to in the house, and I loved indie rock in the 1990s and was in a band with my
Friends as the bass guitarist." For more property stories sent to your inbox twice a week sign up to the property newsletter here . READ MORE: 'I loved my home so much I bought the neighbour's house to renovate' YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: The ordinary terraced property that hides a sensational secret within During Covid-19 lockdown Ffion was wondering if her empty metal barn could be the answer to her childhood dream (Image: edge21 studio) Finding a file of the songs she had written as a teenager rekindled Ffion's desire to do something more creative, and the empty barn and the music studio idea seemed to match perfectly. The first step for the renovation was to clear out the barn, which had inevitably become a dumping ground for anything and everything, which was an easier task at that time as the internationally renowned lawyer usually working in
London was based at home. But Ffion didn't just want to set up a music studio, her clear vision was to establish a creative hub where artists and musicians could meet, perform live and rehearse, as well as record. She wanted facilities for engineering and production, podcasting, and filming too. Combined with the stable block Ffion had previously converted, she has created something very special (Image: edge21 studio) The barn can host live performances and events as well as the home to recording, engineering and producing facilities (Image: edge21 studio) But at the core of Ffion's vision was to offer a 24/7 site, with pull-out beds, showers, lounge area, gym and even a sauna, all constructed to put the artist and their needs at the very heart of the hub. The initial phase of the barn renovation took a year and all was going smoothly until the wonderful Welsh weather decided to get involved. Ffion says: "T here was a significant storm and the wind was so ferocious that night that the roof ridge had blown off, hit a tree and chopped the tree down; we could see daylight through the bit of the barn above the stage and it was continuing to rain so there were buckets out everywhere." Shân Cothi and Trystan Llyr Griffiths recording at the studio (Image: edge21 studio) The entrance has a 'hall of fame' of artists and musicians who have already visited the studio (Image: edge21 studio) As with most major renovations, as well as unforeseen setbacks, the people working on the project were key to its success and Ffion says she was overjoyed to be working with a company called Timbercraft. She says: " I worked really closely with them and they’re absolutely fabulous, I almost don’t let them leave the property because they are so good, so I’m constantly trying to find new projects for them to work on." The barn can also host meetings and break-out sessions (Image: edge21 studio) The barn set up for filming for S4C's Dathlu Dewrder (Image: Celf Calon) As Ffion doesn't seem to have an 'off' switch she is already working on the second phase of the studio's development which will create an exciting outdoor performance space that Timbercraft can add to their 'to do' list. Ffion explains, "We're currently working on a big balcony that’s being put on top of two shipping containers that look out over the field, and the vision for that is that at some point we hole some kind of festival or music event where we are able to perform on top of those containers and look out over the fields." The barn has an added mezzanine level that increases its capacity (Image: Celf Calon) There are two recording booth areas at the site which can also be used for podcasting as well as recording (Image: edge21 studio) The result of the intense 12 month barn renovation project is Coco & Cwtsh, an incredible space that has already been a centre for outstanding creative activity, welcoming some of Wales' most celebrated artists that can be viewed as soon as you enter the barn via a 'hall of fame' photo gallery. Highlights so far include a visit from Charlotte Church and Becky Winfield, and the recording of 'Byd o Heddwch' by Shân Cothi and Trystan Llyr Griffiths, a Welsh language version of the official song for the Rugby
World Cup 'World in Union', recorded for Wales' 2023 campaign in the tournament. The barn and studio was also honoured to be the filming location for Dathlu Dewrder, an awards evening produced by S4C celebrating acts of bravery by people in Wales. The barn has been designed to utilise every space with thought about a visitors needs, which includes a gym zone (Image: edge21 studio) The onsite sauna is popular too (Image: edge21 studio) Coco & Cwtsh has very quickly become embedded within the creative industries scene in Wales, including becoming one of Bafta Cymru's annual supporters. It has already established a reputation for being a vibrant hub for Welsh artists, musicians and events, nestled within the most idyllic and secluded of locations to provide inspiration as well as peace, which Ffion knew from the start would be an enticing aspect of the barn's renovation for future visitors. Ffion says: "It's i ntended to be somewhere where you can escape as an artist. It’s pretty remote and when you’re in the studio you can’t really see anything else, just across the valley in front of you. There’s a meadow outside the barn, we’ve got bees, it’s spring, the flowers are starting to bloom which is lovely and it’s very rural. There's space for people to walk the land and a bluebell wood which is a nice place to sit and reflect and maybe find some music; be creative." There's a kitchen for visitors to use as well as the studio providing onsite cater for events (Image: edge21 studio) The converted stable block supports the barn's function with a lounge and bar area (Image: edge21 studio) The next 12 months will continue to be busy including working with artist Sara Davies, who C oco & Cwtsh have signed to their label, the only record label and music studio in Wales run by women, and it's this support network of the
Women around her that Ffion attributes to the speedy success of Coco & Cwtsh. Ffion says: "I'm so lucky to have phenomenal women around me who are sorting all the day to day stuff out. My sister gave up her
Job teaching to come and manage the studio full time and we have an amazing sound engineer and producer, Branwen Munn - she is wonderful, we are very lucky, artists say it is so easy and relaxed to work at the studio." There are a number of bathroom facilities as well as pull-out beds too, so artists can stay onsite (Image: edge21 studio) Inside the barn Ffion and her team have somehow managed to transform the barn into a huge space that has been designed and zoned to include a main performance space with stage and equipment that has hosted many events and parties, two recording booths, breakout spaces for meetings, a kitchen for catering as well as visitor use, plus and areas where artists can work, rest and play, supported by the renovated former stable block. Ffion says: "The great thing about the studio is how people respond to it because it’s in the middle of nowhere and has a bumpy track going up to the place and it’s a barn - it doesn’t look like anything special from the outside, so the great thing is when people walk in they don’t expect it in that context, they are surprised, and that’s always a nice feeling, if I get that reaction." Welsh
Singer Becky Winfield recording at the site (Image: edge21 studio) The development of the Welsh studio has been a massive project but it’s actually not Ffion’s main career and her full-time ‘day job’ is arguably as far away from the creative industries as you can imagine. Ffion explains: "I’m a cyber lawyer who helps companies with all the legal ramifications of being attacked by cyber criminals or nation state sponsored groups. I’ve got a team based all over the world who handle these incidents because these criminals don’t tend to keep 9 to 5 hours as you can imagine." Coco & Cwtsh have just signed artist Sara Davies (Image: Coco & Cwtsh) Ffion states that the most prevalent current cyber crime, that has grown considerably over the past three years in particular, is ransomware attacks against companies. She says: "This is where the criminals manage to get into the company system, steal data, and then they essentially lock up the company system and then say ‘we promise not to publish your sensitive data on the dark web and we will give you the key to unlock your systems if you pay us a ransom in exchange’. "So we help the companies think through the risks of that and make sure that if they decide that the best thing to do is to pay the ransom then that’s done in a way that’s compliant with other rules and regulations." Ffion is known internationally as a top cyber security lawyer but she is passionate about music and Wales too (Image: Celf Calon) As well as exciting plans for Coco & Cwtsh, over the next 12 months Ffion is predicting a busy year on the cyber crime section of her busy life. She says: "About 50% of the world are having
elections so the main thing that the industry is worried about is misinformation and disinformation from threat active groups and criminals activists, hacking into systems and spreading misinformation. There’s a lot of deep fakes that are doing the rounds at the moment, so that’s going to be an interesting year from the cyber security perspective." But for now Ffion is excited by the continuing rise of her beloved Welsh childhood dream. Sometimes working on trying to achieve your dream can result in the reality not living up to the vision, but Coco & Cwtsh has created more than young Ffion could ever have imagined. The remote location provides a peaceful location conducive to creative thought (Image: edge21 studio) Ffion says: " I do sometimes stop and think, 'wow I’m so lucky that I've been able to do this' and how it’s come about in this way, and I am so pleased it is has worked out in Wales; I l ove Wales, I'm always flying the flag and talking about Wales, whether people want to hear it or not!" As well as a vocal ambassador for Wales within her international career, Ffion is seen as an inspiration, to women in particular, who want to follow a pathway into law, the creative industries or property renovation. But the advice from this incredibly successful yet humble Welsh woman is the same for anyone who may feel nervous about moving forward in life, she says: " When an opportunity comes up say yes, embrace it, you never know where it might lead you." Try WalesOnline Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.