House of Grey’s NHS project is creating spaces that heal in every way

Louisa Grey, founder of interior-design studio House of Grey, has fond memories of the time we all spent standing outside, cheering and clapping in support of nurses and doctors during the pandemic, but then the noise stopped. ‘Applauding the nurses didn’t help them,’ she says. ‘You need to physically do something.’

Like many of us, Grey has a personal connection to the NHS: following an early menopause in her late 30s, she had trouble conceiving, and turned to natural IVF before having her son (now aged 11) in UCH Euston hospital. She will forever be incredibly grateful for the care she received, but the environment, all neon-strip lighting and sterile NHS blue paint, was not one that felt conducive to healing.

‘It did not feed my soul or support me feeling mentally better after the birth,’ she says. ‘I wanted to feel supported, and for the staff to feel supported so that they could work to their optimum, not pinched and compromised by a challenging, stressful environment.’

An Ask og Eng bamboo kitchen in the family room, behind which you can see the two tones of paint in the room – ‘Linwood’ by Graphenstone at the bottom and Bauwerk’s ‘Still’ on top. The shelves are the ‘Rivet’ by Frama and cutlery is its ‘Ole Palsby’ range

So, when House of Grey was approached by The Whittington Health NHS Trust, it was a chance for her to implement the principles of circular salutogenic design she had been ruminating on since that experience. It’s a term, conceived by Grey, which combines the concepts of circular design (using non-toxic materials and pieces that have minimal environmental impact) and salutogenic design (that recognises the impact spaces can have on people’s physical and mental health).

Originally, she was asked to transform one room on The Whittington Hospital’s NICU (Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit), but one turned into three: a staff room, counselling space and family room. Grey offered her studio’s expertise free of charge and called upon her creative contacts to gift furniture, lighting, paint, appliances and time, and the donation has become the largest in the trust’s history. ‘I would say 98 per cent of people we approached were 100 per cent in agreement to be involved,’ she recalls. ‘Many of them had either known someone who’s used the NHS or they had utilised it themselves. I think it just goes to show that, as a community, as a tribe, as an industry, we can positively change the landscape of healthcare.’

In the staff room an ‘Eave’ sofa from Audo, upholstered in ‘Rough “N” Rowdy’ fabric by Perennials, is accompanied by a ‘Rivet’ side table by Frama. Above hangs an artwork by Marion Rhoades and ‘Plum’ wall light from Pinch. The dining table is the ‘Tarn’ by Ferm Living, with ‘CH20’ chairs by Carl Hansen & Søn and a custom bench by Sebastian Cox

The style across the three rooms is muted and neutral, but full of the texture and warmth that come with choosing natural materials. Perhaps most notable are the Ask og Eng bamboo kitchens in the staff and parents’ rooms, stocked with Fisher & Paykel appliances, Quooker taps and wooden ‘Pond’ tables and tableware from Frama.

In the staff room, the mood is darker. After all, this is a place to which tired professionals will retreat to recharge and often to sleep between shifts. To that end, a Sebastian Cox bench (the end cushion can be removed, allowing people to lie down without removing their shoes) and an Audo sofa are large enough for two people to nap on comfortably. Upholstery for these pieces was one of the biggest challenges in a project that was technically demanding. Fabrics needed to be wipe-clean and clinically signed off, but Grey didn’t want anything that felt ‘too plasticky’. The compromise was found in the world of outdoor textiles, with Perennials, Ultrafabric and Kvadrat providing support.

Ask og Eng’s bespoke bamboo kitchen sets the mood in the staff room, with Fisher & Paykel appliances, a Blanco sink and Quooker tap. The aluminium shelf is by Six Dots Design and the tableware is all courtesy of Frama

In the parents’ room, where families will spend a lot of time while babies are in care, a lighter, communal, ‘home-from-home’ feel is created by pieces such as the inviting Wendelbo sofa and wooden stools by Jan Hendzel.

The counselling room’s long and narrow layout is assuaged by a compact, yet still comforting, Ferm Living sofa and classic chairs by Carl Hansen & Søn. Sabine Marcelis’s yellow ‘Candy Column’ stool and another with pastel swirls created from recycled plastic by Dirk van der Kooij bring positivity, with the effect, explains Grey, of making people think ‘It’s going to be alright. Everything is going to be okay, and we need to be fluid in how we approach life’.

Lighting throughout was important, with harsh strip-lighting replaced by something much softer and less jarring to our natural circadian rhythms. There are lamps by Pinch, as well as lesser-known artisans such as Yair Neuman, who creates his translucent designs using discarded lenses from glasses.

The counselling room has notes of uplifting colour (a ‘Candy Column’ stool by Sabine Marcelis and ‘Melting Point’ side table by Dirk van der Kooij) and embracing shapes, such as the Ferm Living ‘Rico’ sofa. The chair is a Carl Hansen & Søn piece and the ceramic wall lamp is by Amande Haeghen

Also key was replacing the paint on the walls with Bauwerk’s limewash, a soothing counterpoint to the tired gloss paint found on many NHS wards (the lower wall has a band of Graphenstone paint, which is easier to maintain, but still VOC-free). Grey carried the limewash across the ceiling to complete the feeling of the room being a visual hug. ‘What was quite interesting, when we installed it,’ she continues, ‘is that there was no scent. Normally, if you decorate somewhere, it can smell quite chemically, but there was none of that, which really added to the feeling of serenity.’ These are quiet, calming spaces for all the senses, that allow people to self-regulate in gentle surroundings – retreats from the hustle, mechanical beeps and stresses of the rest of the hospital.

‘It has been a project about renewal, birth and the circularity of life,’ says Grey, who is deeply thankful for all of the brands and individuals who helped her realise her vision. ‘I feel we can really change the landscape of healthcare,’ she adds.

‘We are planting a seed to change things for the better. People are very unconsciously aware of their environments, and it’s only when they go into a space where it’s like, “God, this feels really good” that they understand the power of design.’ For so many people these days, it’s all about our own wellbeing, but if we start thinking more about the spaces we all inhabit when we are at our weakest and most vulnerable, that’s when the healing will really begin. houseofgrey.co.uk

House of Grey’s rooms are a beautiful step in the right direction, but there is still much that can be done. To make your own donation, visit whittingtonhealthcharity.org or contact them at fundraising.whitthealth@nhs.net