Circular Salutogenic Interior Design: Enhancing Health through SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
Within the realm of interior design, innovative concepts around how we should live continually emerge, however, few take into consideration both the health of humans and the planet. However, House of Grey’s Founder, Louisa Grey., felt that this holistic approach was essential for the benefit of humans and the planet and so, Circular Salutogenic Design (CSD) was born. A unique philosophy, Circular Salutogenic Design prioritises sustainability and healthful spaces in equal measures and allows humans to live in harmony with the planet and themselves.
“Innate to our working practices at House of Grey, is the symbiotic relationship between human health and the health of the planet.”
– Louisa Grey, Founder of House of Grey
Photography by Michael Sinclair at our original CSD project our Home of Holism.
The idea:
The idea for CSD first came to fruition when Louisa was pregnant with her son. After experiencing issues conceiving she was led on a natural path of acupuncture, Chinese herbs and a realisation that the old, traditional ways of living should instead be the new way of living – simple, healthy and free of chemicals, toxins and pollutants. This period of her life guided Louisa to create the seven founding principles of CSD and it is these principles that continue to guide us as a Studio in our daily work.
Each of the principles acts as a reminder of what we should consider as a design studio when creating spaces: Embracing nature - which natural materials could be incorporated? Person-centred - how does the space work for the client now? Future proof - how we can future proof and bring longevity to the design of the scheme, along side our quiet understand luxury aesthetic?
Photography by Michael Sinclair at our original CSD project our Home of Holism
What is Circular Salutogenic Interior Design?
In essence, Circular Salutogenic Interior Design is about finding that sweet spot between the principles of Circular Design and the approach of Salutogenic Design, whilst creating aesthetically beautiful spaces.
Circular interior design revolves around the principles of sustainability and resource efficiency. It aims to create spaces that minimise waste and make use of materials that can be recycled, reused, or repurposed and regenerate natural environments.
Salutogenic design centres on promoting health and well-being. Derived from the Latin word "salus," meaning health, and the Greek word "genesis," meaning origin, salutogenic design emphasises creating environments that enhance physical, mental, and emotional health.
CSD within House of Grey
At House of Grey we use this holistic approach to living and working to offer our clients a person-centred service, creating unique environments that are made specifically for them. Our Studio is a collection of designers who all share our vision and who use the principles to create new ways of living.
We have an extensive in-house materials library which provides us with constant inspiration and we are continually sourcing new sustainable materials as industry evolves. We actively source craftspeople and makers who focus on questioning what is possible, with recent collaborations including: This is Byron - who created a bespoke table and stools out of waste plasterboard from one of our a previous residential project and experimental design studio Tŷ Syml - who create sustainable lights from seaweed & papier-mâché.
Home of Holism - the embodiment of CSD principles
Our Home of Holism project is the perfect culmination of CSD. It is Founder Louisa Grey’s personal home but it is also our design studio. A passion project from a vision Louisa had, it is a space that truly embodies all of our design principles without any limitations: how sensory discovery can change how we feel, natural and sustainable materials such as VOC-free paints from Graphenstone & Clayworks and purposeful design which doesn’t overstimulate us but is fully functional for our clients daily needs. It was the perfect opportunity for the Studio to be able to show and inform its clients, with a knowledge based focus to show how the materials evolve over time.
Photography by Michael Sinclair at our original CSD project our Home of Holism.
Circular Salutogenic Interior Design offers a holistic approach to creating spaces that are not only environmentally sustainable but also promote health. By integrating sustainable materials, energy-efficient systems, living or working spaces can be transformed into healthful spaces which bring added value across multiple touch points in our projects.