Louisa Grey, Founder, House of Grey, discusses pioneering circular salutogenic design and creating with integrity. By Rebekah Killigrew.
Design studio House of Grey is renowned for it’s stunning natural aesthetics and it’s refined creative projects and product collaborations; however their work runs much deeper than their beautifully curated Instagram feed, which draws you in with a cool and calming array of imagery.
Founded by Louisa Grey, the multi-faceted design studio are pioneering circular salutogenic design, which places people and the environment at the centre of each project. After developing their distinctive aesthetic for more than 20 years, House of Grey are now wholly focused on pushing the boundaries of interior design with an evidence-based approach to health and contentment.
Here, Louisa discusses the studio’s holistic approach to their work, the visionary thinkers that inspire her, and the Japanese tea houses that have left a lasting impression.
What is your earliest memory of design having an impact on you?
When I was 15 years old my father built three Japanese tea houses for a client, just outside Cambridge. They’d been given a section of land which was hidden from view by an ancient woodland and the tea houses were connected by interlinking wooden bridges. Cambridge is a place steeped in history, so there’s always a lot to draw from, but it does mean there are the joys of planning permission issues to navigate – something I have since become adept at through a lot of lived experience.
Before I did my Art Foundation year, when the family that owned the tea houses decided to travel around Australia for a few months, so we ‘tea house sat’ for three months, which is an indelible memory for me. The time spent living at the tea houses really opened up my mind, my eyes and my imagination to what it is possible and achievable when you break down boundaries, thinking laterally about creating a space, and not doing what everyone else is doing.
I continue to draw on my experience at the tea houses and what I learned about the feeling a place can give you whilst you’re there, when you experience it through all your senses. The scent of cedar wood from the hot tub in the houses made a huge impression on me and now the scent takes me back there. I recently worked on a project where we created a cedar wood bathtub for our client; and our signature scent KOTO includes cedar (alongside Palo Santo and other essential oils).
Where did you study design and what did you specialise in?
I studied my Art Foundation Degree in Cambridge and due to unforeseen circumstances at the college, I decided to be self-taught which allowed me to explore other materials and interests which were not on the course and I was very fortunate to be supported by my mum’s creative tribe to prepare my portfolio for my degree applications.
A family friend taught me ceramics and that’s something I returned to seven years ago. Pottery is an integral part of my week and essential for my personal wellbeing. When you work with clay you feel close to the earth, it’s a truly grounding experience. I recently discovered that my father set up a pottery course at Canterbury art college, which is still running today.
I then studied textiles and weaving at Chelsea School of Art, which above all else taught me patience and has been the most useful attribute that I utilise daily. I’ve really never stopped studying, I’m continuously learning about design, materials, honing my craft and developing new skills.
What kind of designer did you aspire to be and who are your inspirations?
I’ve always admired visionary thinkers who were ahead of their time.
Anni Albers, a forward thinking textile artist and print maker, and part of the Bauhaus movement in the 1920s as a weaving student and then instructor. She then taught at the Black Mountain College with a modern take on weaving, innovative use and understanding of materials, her teachings and designs were way ahead of their time.
Ben Nicholson’s use of neutral colour and his relief work has also always inspired me; and Jim and Helen Ede who opened the Kettles Yard gallery in Cambridge, where I used to sketch during college. They all used a soft, neutral palette and were also very modern thinkers of their time.
My parents were also very visionary and have been instrumental in the way I think as a designer, maker and creator – and also on the House of Grey business and how we do things in the studio. I’ve been lucky to have parents who’ve always done things differently whilst working hard. My mother had a knitwear company in which she’d design the patterns and make samples, then drive around and deliver wool to the other crafts people in the area who would then knit the collection. This was in the early 80s – and she had 3 young children! I feel fortunate that I have always been surrounded by inspiring, creative people.
What was your first professional design commission?
This is quite hard to pinpoint over 20 years, as we are multi faceted, this translates to Interior design, product design and interior styling which covers quite a vast number of commissions.
However I really see my first professional design commission happening at House of Grey, when our clients came to us as they had a heartfelt commitment to what we do, what we stand for and what we create when we create spaces for ourselves. Our interior design clients experienced the work we completed at our project in Islington and again at the Home of Holism – clients often see what we do for ourselves when we’re not designing for someone else, and they want to achieve the same feeling and aesthetic for their own space, so they come to us.
Since launching the concept of Circular Salutogenic Design, our clients in Highgate and Kings Cross in London have specifically chosen to work with us for this reason – they want us to use the same materials and design processes for their project and achieve the same sense of health and holism. We are excited that finally what we believe to be the way of designing buildings to future proof our existence is catching on.
What has been your biggest design commission to date?
House of Grey are currently working on an exciting project to combine two listed houses next to each other and turn them into one large family home. It’s an exciting one, already in production and scheduled to be complete in 2024. Very much a ‘watch this space’ situation.
How would you describe House of Grey as a studio and a community of designers?
We’ve got a very positive work culture at House of Grey. We’ve drawn on our experience of how negative places can influence your sense of wellbeing, and working environments with strip lighting that are truly soul destroying. We strongly believe that an office or studio needs to be inspiring so you can do your best work and feel good whilst you’re there. So as a design studio we created our own workspace and a working environment where we’re open to trying anything, so we’re constantly creating and innovating.
We’re also intentionally small so we can be agile, and therefore can adjust and react to opportunities quite quickly (COVID was definitely one of those moments that we were able to move in this way) . Creativity and problem solving is not restricted by internal processes, which gives us a sense of freedom.
What are the key characteristics you look for when bringing new talent into your studio?
We look for an energy and someone with intention which we see in a person where they have a genuine and honest appreciation of all we do at House of Grey. From work/life balance, to Circular Salutogenic Design, our aesthetic, our processes and principles. It’s about balance, give and take. When we find like-minded people to work with us, truly great things happen – it’s essential to our evolution as a design studio.
Where is the majority of your work based? And how has travel helped to shape and influence your ideas on design?
Currently, the majority of our work is based in the UK, but we do work internationally and in Europe. We try to limit the amount of travel we do to reduce our carbon footprint. When we work on a project we draw on local influences and work with local artisans and craftspeople for the same reason, it feels more authentic when you’re connected to a space – the result is more meaningful and a more sustainable way to work which is a priority for us.
What do you think should be a key focus for designers moving forward in 2022 and beyond?
Really, it’s all about Circular Salutogenic Design – the sweet spot between creating an environment that has minimal impact on the planet and has a positive impact on human health. We’ve got to be working and thinking holistically, with intention and integrity, to solve some of the world’s biggest problems through design.
Circular Salutogenic Design was our pre-pandemic vision, which has now been translated into the post-pandemic world. Design and architecture can’t be about greenwashing. That’s why we are intellectualising interior design not in an academic way but an ethical way. It’s not just about the way interiors look in Instagram and magazine, for us it’s about the way the place makes you feel when you are there and the positive or impact the existence of the space has on the planet.
If you hadn’t become an interior designer what would you be doing?
Honestly – a dancer. (Or a potter). I love music and how it instantly changes your mood.
www.houseofgrey.co.uk | IG: @houseofgreylondon
Photography by Michael Sinclair.
