Meet Louise Graham | Sala Studio, Auckland, NZ

Co-owner of dream workspace The Village, mama to Magnus and everyday fashion icon, to know Louise is to love her. Here’s your chance to get to know her too.

Hey, who are you? What do you do and where do you live?

Hello! I am Louise. I live in Arch Hill. I have a co-working and event space here in Auckland. I also do freelance Brand Communications.

How did you hear about SALA? How long have you been coming, and what’s your favourite thing about the SALA community? 

FUN FACT! I am SALA's FIRST member. A mega-fan since day one. I was friends with Sarah and Josh from London and knew what Sarah wanted to bring to Auckland was going to be incredible! I love the friendly faces, the fun classes, and the beautiful space. All of it. 

What’s your favourite SALA class? 

Tricky one. I go through phases but I’m on a HIIT Pilates buzz right now.

What’s your go to mood elevator?

Exercise, food and friends. Altogether, even better!

What is the village? What’s the purpose? Who’s it for, and how does it work?

The Village is a co-working and event space based in a lovely old villa in Herne Bay. It's a beautifully designed space with a domestic feel for those who are looking for a flexible work environment where they can come one or two days a week to work, connect, host meetings, and hang out. We also host lots of fun events, from knitting to talks on finance, and cooking demos to panel discussions. In one day we can have people coming and going for meetings, working independently, meeting for coffee and then in the evening we might be hosting a big dinner party for 30 people.

 What inspired you to start the village? 

I can't take credit for the original idea of The Village - I was brought into the conversation after my friends and co-founders Sophie Gilmour and Stacey O'Gorman had been talking about it for months. Over several Whatsapp, dim sum lunches, and wines together, we refined the concept and all brought a lot of different ideas to the table. We're all really different which is great as we wanted the space to serve lots of different people for lots of different reasons.

Why is rest important? Describe your dream rest day…

I love to rest, but I very rarely (if ever) get to have a blobby day watching movies and TV. My dream rest day would be in a fancy hotel room, after a room service feast, all my friends are sitting on my bed chit-chatting with me while I doze off to sleep for a long nap.

Wellbeing is…?

Confusing and exhausting.

If someone was visiting your city, what’s the one thing you’d tell them to do? 

Hmmmm... I've only lived in Auckland for two and a bit years and still feel like a stranger to it in so many ways. But I'd say, EAT! We have so many amazing restaurants here. 

What are your go to health and fitness tips? 

I work out a whole lot less now I have a kid. I can be a miserable old sod to live with if I don't book in classes and prioritise movement - so I try my best to do it for myself and my family. It makes me so much happier. 

What’s your favourite post movement snack/meal?

I like sandwiches quite a lot. 

How can we find a healthy balance between nourishing both our physical bodies and our minds when working out? 

I always used to think I was working out primarily for my physical body, and then recently realised it's also so I can be a nice, calm, pleasant person to be around (am I sounding grumpy?) But balance is exactly it... not too much, not too little, and I'm not sure if I've found that successfully yet.

What’s a hangover cure you swear by? 

Dim sum