LOUISA GREY

Where were you born, and where do you currently reside?

I am originally from Cambridge, and I moved to London to go to Chelsea School of art to study weaving - I decided that city life brought me the energy that I needed and have been here ever since. I live and work in north London.

How would you describe yourself (your work / your practice) in a nutshell?

I am Louisa Grey, founder of the Circular Salutogenic Interior Design Studio, House of Grey, based in London. I am a mother, designer, creative and business owner.

What does a typical day look like for you lately?

A ‘typical’ day is hard to define. We are a creative team who collaborate closely to work towards our collective vision of purposeful design. I love personally being involved on all elements of the business and every project from conception through to completion, and my working days reflect this.  So no day is the same. I work on all elements of the business from signing off on the inspiration boards for new projects, meeting with clients to discuss a project’s progress to personally installing, styling and art directing the photoshoot for a new space. I am in my element and feel most joyous & alive when focused on thinking about the details on an Interior Design project.
I do feel incredibly blessed that I am able to ride my bike to our new studio each day, listening to our new Pause, Reflect, Connect podcast episodes to run through them before they go live.
 The new studio is something I instinctively knew would shift the energy of our practice — not just as a creative space for us to design and build from, but as a place to nurture community, connection and bring together more like-minded people.

How do you balance running a business with motherhood?

To ensure my dream life had balance, I made a conscious decision for the new studio to be close to my home, so I can be there for my son when he returns from school.
For me, one of the most positive aspects of running your own business is the flexibility it can create. In many ways, I built House of Grey so I could focus my energy on raising him, while allowing the business to flow around his needs rather than the other way around.

What practices or habits help you maintain your sense of peace and balance?

My yoga practice is incredibly important to me, as it helps ensure I remain balanced and able to channel my creativity in a positive and constructive way, allowing inspiration to continue flowing.
On the weekends when I do not have my son, I love sitting with a coffee in my hammock chair and reading. It brings such a deep sense of peace and stillness for me, especially as the hammock hangs from one of the pear trees in our garden.

Can you talk a bit about the materials and paints you used to renovate your studio? The pigment-based paint on the walls holds the light in such a soft way. I’d love to hear more about the design choices you made for the space, and the sense of community you hope to nurture there.

We used a beautiful natural paint from Marmor made with pigments from Dorset, throughout the main spaces. It is incredibly important to me that we remain aligned with our values and although you cannot physically see that the paints are free from VOCs, you can absolutely feel, sense and intuitively know that the space is entirely natural. It was interesting that you felt this too.

The Old Victorian School has always been about extending and deepening our community in a physical form. When we joined Instagram in 2015, it was because I wanted to build an online community and celebrate makers who perhaps did not have the focus, visibility or business acumen to market themselves and include them in our projects providing a platform of shared joyous creativity.

I feel we have truly achieved that, and now it feels like the right time to collaborate with more like-minded people to continue build.

Balancing feminine and masculine (yin/yang) energy while running a business is something that came up while I was photographing you.
Do you have any advice for women who struggle with stepping into their yang energy, especially when it comes to leadership?

I definitely lean more into yang / masculine energy, although I have only really realised this in recent years, perhaps because I have spent so long running a business within a competitive, male-driven world. Masculine energy is often rooted in logic, structure, focus and doing. For someone who struggles with switching off or balancing this energy, one thing I would suggest is making a list of the things you need to do in order of what you least want to do first. Then place the more joyful or nourishing tasks towards the end of the list, so you naturally move through the heavier tasks with intention and create space to enjoy the softer moments without guilt. I think balance comes when we allow ourselves to honour both energies rather than living permanently in one.

5 of your favourite things of now:

A scent - Ffern Spring 26

A song - ~Lavender Fileds Stephan Moccio

An artist - James Turell + Tyjan Knut

A meal - Japanese

An item of clothing - It has to be my diamond coat and my high heeled clogs as they are a staple in my daily looks.

>>>>>>HOUSE OF GREY
LOUISA wears our Artisanal Chore Coat in BARE+OAT and in BLACK+OAT, and our Transition Vest in Mosso.