Ep 1 - What is Sustainability?

"Beauty is an expression of good." ElinaWe're ending this series of 'Interiors with Purpose' with a very special episode...What is beauty? Why does it matter so much? What are the key components when it comes to interiors? What role does it have in wellbeing, mental health, and productivity? It's a big one...It's a more philosophical conversation than the others, which was somewhat inevitable for us, given the subject. However, there are wonderful theories and practicalities covered; comfort, lighting, floorplans, textiles, walls views, aptitudes, and one of our favourites; Maslow's hierarchy of needs.We hope you have enjoyed this series as much as we have enjoyed creating it –  we'd love to know what you think - and keep an ear out for the new series next year!

What do strategy and certification have in common? How do they differ? Why do they matter?They both provide focus to projects and their teams where it matters, to give boundaries to creativity and productivity – in our case, they help to hone a path to a beautiful space with tangible impact.This episode of ‘Interiors with Purpose’ goes into both - What is a strategy? Why is it important? How does it help an organisation, and a project? When it comes to certifications and benchmarks, what’s out there in the interior design world? How do they relate to systemic change?We also look at the importance of resilience involved – it’s not for the faint hearted.It’s a big conversation, covering basics and intricacies – we hope it inspires and ignites you the way it did for us having the conversation.

“Sustainable design is too expensive…” “We don’t have the time…” “We don’t need to be sustainable…” The myths around sustainable design are plentiful - But what do we mean by myths? What misconceptions and assumptions do we hear in our day to day? How has this evolved over time? Has COVID played a part? We thought we would go there and ask all the questions. This episode of Interiors with Purpose reaches across a range of different ideas and insights, whilst also noting the impact understanding human nature and the use of a space to create true sustainable design.

Elina and Grigoriou Interiors are regarded as influential in the UK for translating sustainability and wellbeing theory into everyday interiors practice - combining consulting, specification guidance and demonstrable project work to make low-impact, high-quality interiors achievable for clients. Elina’s approach is pragmatic, evidence-led and integrative — she argues that style and sustainability are not mutually exclusive, and that good design must serve people while minimising environmental harm. Her book, public talks and advisory roles have helped mainstream the idea that healthy, long-lasting interiors are both beautiful and climate responsible. But what is the difference between the ‘GI process’ as we call it, and a typical interior design practise? How did Elina hone the formula we use? For this episode of Interiors with Purpose, we look at the GI journey, Elina’s philosophical approach, the hierarchy of interiors, the importance of user profiles and how archetypes play a crucial part in truly sustainable design. This episode is full of insights and inspiration - made for note-taking!

For Episode 2 of our podcast Interiors with Purpose, we wanted to look at value and impact. What is value? What is impact? How do we consider these differently, and what role do they play in the world of sustainability and interiors?Many of us have different perspectives with these two words and concepts, and we thought it would be insightful to bring this to the table and see how it manifests in our worlds, our work, and how it can be applied to ensure a well-designed space.It’s a blend of philosophies, technicalities and perspectives – we hope you enjoy it!

We thought we would start with a simple question…For Episode 1 of our podcast series ‘Interiors with Purpose’, we look at the meaning of sustainability, and it’s importance - What does it mean to us? Why does it matter? Why should it matter??It’s a conversation that means so much to us, blending into philosophies, semantics and the science…

We are so excited to introduce our new podcast series, Interiors with Purpose.Hosted by our Founder Elina Grigoriou, this first series has been recorded with colleagues Ines Viana and Izy Dixon, talking across both practical and philosophical themes and topics that go into designing and preserving a beautiful world…Interiors with Purpose has been created in very much a conversational style, with plenty of giggles in the mix – and deliberately recorded in a mixture of locations, including our workspace at Somerset House, in Central London.We will cover insights, knowledge, FAQs, and often a topic that’s come up in the office that week – it’s a lovely mix of talking points, and a series we hope is as helpful as it is enjoyable – one that brings sustainable design into practice, and hopefully brings people in to all the possibilities our world of interiors could, and should be.We thought we would give you a little introduction, and a taste of what is to come, so without further ado, take a listen!