Stylist and consultant Louisa Grey is one of our busiest location owners. Her creative interior design studio House of Grey is renowned in the design industry for sympathetic, modern, trend led design.
Louisa’s natural sense of texture is drawn from her background in textile design. House of Grey is known for combining natural elements, be they stone (terrazzo) with brass tones or velvets that infuse a classic, modern design with tactile comforts. Her shoot location has a precise, crisp look, yet it also feels welcoming and comfortable.
“These are Carl Hansen CH47 dining chairs,” Louisa tells us with the smile of expertise and exactitude. “They have been rather a revolution as they are wider than normal dining chairs. After years of vintage church chairs, to sit on non-rocking chairs while you eat is wonderful. It brings a new sense of comfort and that encourages you to socialise and enjoy a long slow meal, rather than rushing it to recline on the sofa.”
What appealed to you most about your house, now a photoshoot location, when you first saw it?
“The space felt so grand, and I loved the huge eighty-foot garden. The light in all the rooms is divine all-year round. We opened up three out of the four floors so the light could flood in all of the day light. The design has exceeded our expectations”
What would you say to people considering renting out their home as a shoot space?
“I think the misconception with renting your home out as a photo shoot location is that it is easy. There is hard work involved with running a location house. The main thing is keeping it clean. One of the extra things we do to provide a breakfast as a welcome to the teams. It seems to help the crews feel at home, which is totally what we want and we would like them to return too!”
What sort of attitude have you developed about photo shoot crews in your home?
“I have experience with this on both sides. From styling and using location homes for years to now renting ours out for photo shoots, I’ve learnt that you have to be relaxed and let the teams get on with their day.”
What part of your design brings you most pleasure?
“The kitchen by Blakes Kitchen is so stunning. I really enjoy cooking in it and as a family we utilise the space a lot. The craftsmanship of how the wood grain joins from cabinet to cabinet so seamlessly is extremely pleasing.”
Aside from high ceilings, tall windows and lots of space and light, what else do photographers, directors and photo shoot location scouts look for?
“Locations you can paint and decorate are always very useful along with easy parking and a home owner who makes you feel welcome: all these elements really help me when I am looking for a great shoot space. Also, in my experience, if you have to move a lot of furniture around a location, it can be really time consuming on a tight shoot schedule.”
Inspiration, Louisa believes, comes in many forms. As someone whose creative mind is oriented around colour, Louisa is always looking out for the next palette of interesting colour combinations. That’s her starting block for design work. As for insider shopping tips she recommends Laursi “for divine rugs and spurious linen bedding”.
So what, according to Louisa, is the key to a well-designed home?
“A functional and well thought-out space. Plenty of storage so you don’t have to look at the day-to-day clutter. Consider how you will use the space and how the light falls in each room throughout the day, because that speaks to the pace and atmosphere of each room.”