House of Grey: Pioneering salutogenic design
people • designers
Louisa Grey, the founder of House of Grey, is an influential figure in the world of interior design, renowned for her innovative approach that emphasises sustainability and wellness. Her journey into founding House of Grey was deeply personal, sparked during her pregnancy and driven by her experiences with natural health solutions during her struggles with conception. These personal health challenges led her to explore holistic practices, including acupuncture and Chinese herbs, inspiring her to rethink traditional interior design methods.
Her philosophy revolves around creating spaces that are not only beautiful but also beneficial for both the inhabitants and the environment. This commitment is reflected in her pioneering work with Circular Salutogenic Design®, which merges principles of salutogenic (health-generating) design with circular (sustainable) design practices.
WEBSITE: houseofgrey.co.uk INSTAGRAM: @houseofgreylondon
Words: designeers
June 2024
designeers
Describe your signature aesthetic:
louisa grey
I would say, quiet understated luxury. As a Studio we work intuitively, by not by following trends: products and interiors are designed to be practical, durable and ethical as well as beautiful, comfortable and luxurious. We truly believe in that we can make positive change through design and spaces unique through empowering artisans and process changes.
designeers
Can you tell us more about Circular Salutogenic Design and your approach to sustainable design?
louisa grey
House of Grey was born whilst I was 3 months pregnant with my son. I had designed two restaurants and a private residential home and I felt there was another way to design and build in a more positive way, one which had less of an impact on the earth and offered health benefits for its inhabitants. I had issues conceiving and this led me on a natural path of acupuncture, Chinese herbs and a realisation that the old, traditional ways of living should be the new way of living – simple, healthy and free of chemicals, toxins and pollutants.
At House of Grey we holistically fuse the features and principles of Salutogenic Design with the aims of Circular Design, to create unique, interior environments which simultaneously promote human health and have a positive impact on the planet. We call this: Circular Salutogenic Design®.
Our CSD work embraces the notion of regenerative design and development, which is the process of building capability in people within communities, and capacity within natural systems to renew, evolve, and thrive. Regenerative design is holistic. Instead of primarily focusing on solving or minimising humans’ negative impacts, through developing our CSD products and interiors, we create ways for humans to enhance and contribute to thriving, living systems across the globe. Future proofing our planet earth.
designeers
How did the House of Holism Project come about?
louisa grey
Our Home of Holism project is a holistic vision for living and working - it is our design studio but it is also my personal home. Back in 2019 I embarked on a personal and professional journey - I had a deep rooted feeling that I hadn’t reached the level of contentment I believed was possible and I recognised that it couldn’t come from possessions or status so I decided to make some huge changes across the whole spectrum of my daily life. This period in my life coincided with the fact we faced sourcing a new studio space and after viewing a multitude of options, none of which had the right feeling, I decided we had to create something ourselves to elevate how we worked and also boost our individual health and collective creativity.
Following on from the pandemic, creating a holistic work / home space has become ever more important and living holistically means considering not only how items look and feel but also how they perform to keep that space functioning to its optimum. Buildings often have hidden features and sometimes the most crucial aspects of a well-functioning space are not on display. Making key elements of a room changeable and movable, so nothing was fixed was fundamental. Within the space we ensured that everything we needed to use on a daily basis was accessible and practical, for example we created a movable kitchen island that could be easily rolled to different locations and on which we used a surface mineral which is the same we used in the bathroom, making it durable and resistant to water.
Furthermore, our studio’s main office space is ‘hidden’ behind folding glass panel doors, allowing the space to be flexible and to work for how we are feeling each day. To limit crossover, I intentionally designed the master bedroom to be a retreat space to allow me to reset and self regulate, with en-suite bathroom that has views across the trees to the city and on the walls I used the lime wash colour ‘Retreat’ from the House of Grey, Visual Silence collection in collaboration with Bauwerk colour.
designeers
Are there any challenges you face when working in this way?
louise grey
I would say it’s challenging people’s mindset. Adjustments to human’s habitual approach to making, doing and consuming combined with not investing the time to make the changes in processes which is the biggest issue. It is completely within our collective power to change these patterns – but it requires a huge amount of passion for people to be motivated to support these crucial changes.
“People are becoming much more conscious of protecting for future generations and are actively looking to future proof and improve their impact on the earth.”
louisa grey
designeers
Are you noticing an increase in clients who prioritise health and sustainability in their design preferences?
louisa grey
100%. We are also noticing a change in people’s whole approach, a ‘clean living movement’, which is encouraging a shift across all touchpoint in people’s lives. People are becoming much more conscious of protecting for future generations and are actively looking to future proof and improve their impact on the earth.
designeers
Can you tell us about any upcoming projects you are excited about?
louisa grey
One of our projects that we are currently designing is a beautiful new retail space, restaurant and several apartments for a private client who is very aligned with our values. The project will launch at the end of 2025.
designeers
On your coffee table right now:
louisa grey
My journal and three sets of tarot cards that I work with, as I am currently teaching myself how to work with them.
designeers
Top 3 suppliers you love working with:
louisa grey
Inherent to our Circular Salutogenic Design approach is our ‘creative tribe’ - a community of like-minded artisans, creators and makers who have the same appreciation we do for the hand-crafted and slow production processes. We collaborate regularly with: Bauwerk - working together closely to develop bespoke colours for private clients, alongside our core collection of VOC-free lime wash paints, Visual Silence, (which we are currently working on a new collection). Armadillo - a female-owned, B corp who are passionate about artistry and sustainability, we have created a collection of 100% natural rugs together, called the Ellipse collection.
Maud and Mabel gallery in London for their selection of divine artworks and ceramics. Finally, we have recently been working with This is Byron who creates beautiful objects from materials that would often go to waste. On a recent commercial project of ours he made a collection of furniture from waste plasterboard from a previous project of ours.
designeers
Favourite hotel in the world:
louisa grey
Central to what I visualised with the Home of Holism was a space for downloading and self regulating. I have gratitude for the sense of space my home gives me in an ugly busy city, which is the ultimate luxury. Aside from my personal home, I love Ett Hem in Stockholm and I recently stayed at the Audo Residence in Copenhagen and I was drawn to its relaxed atmosphere which didn’t feel like a hotel.
designeers
Design hero:
louisa grey
Lucie Rie - a ceramics pioneer in a craft that was predominantly male industry at that time.
