Editor Sophie Lewis visits House of Grey founder Louisa Grey at her Home of Holism in London to discuss the designer’s latest community-oriented, socially conscious project.
“I want to leave a positive impact, not just through creating a beautiful space, but actually making a difference,” House of Grey founder Louisa Grey says as we sit within the upstairs living space at Home of Holism. The London designer’s impetus to improve healthcare environments led her to collaborate with the NHS Trust on spaces within Whittington Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: a staff room, a family room, and a counselling room.
In this interview, Grey reflects on designing homely and therapeutic hospital spaces and on remaining steadfast in including natural, sensory elements such as custom furniture, lighting, and scent. Beyond the desire to create a more broadly applicable version of her designs for other healthcare institutions, Grey is also about to open the doors to her next community-focused project: a new studio space “where people from all backgrounds can gather, connect, and create.”
House of Grey founder Louisa Grey
Tarn dining table by Ferm Living and CH20 Elbow chairs by Hans J. Wegner for Carl Hansen & Søn.
A custom bench by Sebastian Cox.
Each year, you select a charity project to support, focused on enhancing human lives through design. When did this become such a central part of your practice?
Louisa Grey: In troubling times, supporting each other on a local level has a ripple effect outward. Each year, we select a charity project to support, where we can enhance human lives through design and provide our services without a studio fee.
We started our community initiatives about three years ago with a creative breakfast at our studio, Home of Holism. There’s a food bank opposite that’s grown so much over the years. It’s in a church and every Sunday I’d see the people coming and going. I remember thinking, I have enough in my life. I have my son, I can feed myself, I can pay my bills; I feel very blessed.
A French creative duo, Nomades, reached out to collaborate on a creative project and breakfast. We sold tickets through Instagram and Eventbrite, raised a small amount of money, and donated it to the food bank. It wasn’t much, but it sparked something: it led to the hospital project we completed this year.
Most recently, you worked with the NHS to redesign two family patient counselling rooms and one staff room at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Whittington Hospital in Central London. How did this collaboration come about?
Louisa Grey: The Whittington NHS Trust actually contacted me completely out of the blue. But funnily enough, I’d already been thinking about wanting to work on something connected to hospitals, or even end-of-life care.
Interestingly, when the hospital reached out, it felt like a very natural fit with what we do at Home of Holism. A huge part of Circular Salutogenic design is about promoting health through your surroundings: creating environments that support wellbeing. But hospitals, of course, are often the opposite.
It was meant to be a three-month project, but it ended up lasting 14 months. We worked pro bono, and it became a project about how design can genuinely change lives. When we handed over the finished rooms to the Trust, one team member said, “It’s interesting that you paid so much attention to the ceiling.” And I said, “Well, of course, most people in a hospital spend their time on their backs, looking at it.” But that’s what design is; it’s about empathy and awareness. You think about how people really experience a space, every single day.
The staff room includes the Eave modular sofa by Audo Copenhagen, upholstered in ‘Rough n Rowdy’ fabric by Perennials, the Frama Rivet side table, the Pinch Plum wall light and an artwork by Marion Rhoades.
The counselling room features a Candy Column stool by Sabine Marcelis, a ceramic wall lamp by Amande Haeghen, a Melting Point side table by Dirk van der Kooij, a Ferm Living Rico sofa, and a Carl Hansen & Søn CH28P lounge chair.
In the family room, two tones of paint were used to adhere to hospital hygiene standards; the lower is Linwood by Graphenstone, and the upper is Still by Bauwerk.
How did your own experience with the NHS inform your design approach?
Louisa Grey: I think I’ve reached a point where I see interior design being very focused on residential and commercial work. But after having my son, and going through a long fertility journey with him, I started to see things differently.
During the birth through the NHS, I was blown away by the nurses—they’re absolute super humans. So when the Whittington Trust contacted me, saying, “You’re a local designer, would you design a room for us?” I didn’t hesitate.
I visited the neonatal intensive care unit and was asked to choose between a staff room, a family room, or a counselling room. I couldn’t pick, because they all held equal importance. The nurses needed support just as much as the families. Their spaces hadn’t been touched for years. In the end, we redesigned three rooms. We rallied our design community with pledged furniture and materials.
The family room features an Ask og Eng bamboo kitchen, with Frama Rivet shelves above.
More specifically, how does the project reflect your central philosophy of circular salutogenic Design?
Louisa Grey: Salutogenic comes from the word salutogenesis. This derives from hospital healthcare—a healthful environment. Circular salutogenic design is about creating environments that heal; that allow people to rest, regulate, and feel comfortable. I realised that what I love most is designing spaces where people can feel at ease and safe, and where they can talk openly.
Why is it that hospitals are accepted to be depressing places when you are only there when you most need nurturing? This is the fundamental purpose of salutogenic design, which is not widely known and rarely (if ever) applied to older hospitals, which are in desperate need of retrofitting and renovation to support their staff and patients. Providing spaces crafted from natural materials that have a positive impact on the user’s health and the planet is the sole purpose of circular salutogenic interior design.
In this project, we used natural materials that have a nourishing and grounding effect on those who use them. In the counselling room, we avoided overhead lighting and used low-level lamps to make the space feel calm and gentle. It is unfathomable when you take a moment to think about it, that a sterile and lacklustre environment with strip lighting is provided to you when you are at your most vulnerable. How has it become the given standard to have strip lighting, which does not work with your natural circadian rhythm or support your emotional state?
Ask og Eng supplied both of the bamboo kitchens. Bamboo is a material that can withstand constant use, is sustainable, and fast-growing. There are two versions: a darker kitchen for the staff room, and a lighter one for the family room.
The staff room also features an Ask og Eng kitchen with a Blanco sink and Quooker tap, and Fisher & Paykel appliances. The shelf above is designed by Six Dots Design with tableware by Frama.
What was the most significant learning in taking on a project within a hospital environment?
Louisa Grey: Sometimes work is about inspiring hope not generating profit. We did not accept a taking fee. We helped the Whittington Health NHS Trust make this happen for their patients, that will have a lasting impact for generations of babies, mothers and elderly people in the North London area for years to come.
Why do you believe it is essential as a designer and founder to be engaging in health and community-focused projects such as these?
Louisa Grey: I recently gave a talk on standing out as a designer. I spoke about this project and became quite emotional. A woman in the audience, who works in NHS mental health, came up afterwards and said she wanted to change the environments she works in. I gave her my contact details. You need so much love and persistence to make that change, especially as a small studio.
For us, it’s about planting seeds, encouraging designers to think about how we can grow and change. When I started out I was working in a lovely design practice, but I kept wondering, what’s this all about? I wanted to make a positive difference, to educate people.
When we started our Instagram page ten years ago, it was a platform to share knowledge; to introduce people to new artists, designers, and healthier materials. I wanted to show that a non-toxic, sustainable interior can still feel luxurious and contribute positively to your wellbeing.
What’s next for House of Grey in continuing to build on your support of the local community?
Louisa Grey: We are currently working on a new, community-focused studio space in an old Victorian school. Our intention is to remove barriers to access — both social and physical — so that this becomes a truly democratic space. We envision this building as a space where people from all backgrounds can gather, connect, and create: a hub that celebrates inclusivity, diversity, and expression.
Whether through exhibitions, workshops, talks, or informal gatherings, we want to foster a culture of mentorship, inspiration, and collective empowerment. The space will also provide opportunities for reflection, personal growth, and mentorship: a place where people can pause from the pressures of daily life and engage meaningfully with others.
We have approached the studio renovation with the intent to make it as environmentally friendly as possible. Like at the Home of Holism, the whole building is insulated with sheep’s wool. The walls are lined with hemp plaster, and we’ve replaced all the windows with slim double glazing to keep the original profiles and detailing.
We want this building to stand as a symbol of what can be achieved when creativity, heritage, and community come together. By restoring and repurposing the historic site, we are not only preserving its legacy but creating a platform for future generations to connect, create, and thrive.
