I am a mother, creative, and the founder of London-based interior design studio House of Grey. I was born in Cambridge but moved to London to attend the Chelsea School of Art to study weaving. There is an energy to city life that I needed— and still need —so I have been here ever since.
I was raised in a creative household. Both of my parents are makers and extremely innovative in their thinking. My mother is a painter and was once a weaver and knitwear designer. My father restored buildings and, in his spare time, crafted stained glass windows and designed furniture.
I grew up in the interesting spaces that he converted: a former church, a public house, a 15th Century barn. It was this experience that instilled in me a great curiosity and reverence for home. When you are raised in these reimagined structures, you feel compelled to explore the meaning of where and how we live.
My work is completely centered around creating spaces that provide a sense of place. Over the last decade, we have established House of Grey as the only Circular Salutogenic Design studio. We work holistically to our seven principles, creating not just an interior aesthetic but a way of life. Our focus is on embracing nature and harnessing its abundance to develop environments with purposeful design but minimal impact.
In our practice, we take a step back when designing; simplifying spaces so as not to overstimulate inhabitants. We look for beauty in the everyday— dappled light falling through a window or a view of trees from the bedroom —focusing on these simple pleasures is pure beauty for us. There is an understated luxury to our work. All of our interiors and products are focused on longevity and shaping a design legacy that will endure from generation to generation.
"We look for beauty in the everyday— dappled light falling through a window or a view of trees from the bedroom —focusing on these simple pleasures is pure beauty for us."
The way I think about beauty has evolved over time. I once thought of it as a very aesthetic part of our lives, though now I see beauty as how we treat one another, how we interact, and the choices we make to leave a positive legacy after our generation has left this Earth.
Personally, I feel most beautiful when I am surrounded by people I love and who make me laugh. Aging is often seen as a negative circumstance but, really, it should be seen as a gift. As I have grown older, my understanding of beauty has only moved in a positive direction. I believe in embracing change as nothing lasts.
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 – a simple life, healthy and free of chemicals, toxins and pollutants. The pivotal moment it all changed was when I brought my son home, we were in the mists of a renovation, but it did not matter as I held my son, I knew that I could make positive change to interior design landscape and knew intuitively it was the best I could do for myself and my son. Now, he is curious about the world and extremely creative in his own way, he explores his creativity through technology, making short films. Being his mother has been the most rewarding and greatest learning of my life.
Reflecting on life so far, my greatest advice is simply to trust your intuition— it is there for a reason. To become a great designer, you need integrity and intuition. I have been fortunate to always trust in this and that, I believe, is what leads to authenticity in the work.
Louisa Grey photographed by Thea Løvstad. View more projects by House of Grey here.
