Dowsing & Reynolds: Inside the Leeds interiors brand loved by TV and celebrities
From a warehouse unit on the edge of Leeds, Ally and James Dowsing-Reynolds are building the next chapter of their interiors business.
The founders of interiors brand Dowsing & Reynolds have opened a new showroom for customers, architects and interior designers to experience their lighting, switches, sockets and hardware in person.
For a business that was built online, it might sound like a backwards step. But for the pair behind the company, it reflects a shift in how people want to shop, particularly when it comes to their homes. “We’ve all gone massively digital,” says Ally. “And now you almost have to go back. We wanted to bring some humanity back into the brand.”
The by-appointment showroom occupies part of the company’s headquarters, where the business has been based for five years.
It briefly launched a showroom in the Victoria Quarter just before the pandemic. “We knew we didn’t want to open up another showroom in Leeds city centre,” says Ally. “It wasn’t quite right for us in terms of getting enough customers in.
Founded in 2013, Dowsing & Reynolds began after James started experimenting with concrete sculptures and vintage lightbulbs. What started in a garage has since grown into a nationally recognised interiors brand, with James designing each piece himself.
Celebrity fans include architect and TV presenter George Clarke, while the team has also spotted its products on programmes including The Traitors and Netflix thriller Black Bag. In the company’s early days, One Direction used Dowsing & Reynolds lighting during an appearance on The X Factor before taking it on tour.
Today the company employs just under 40 people, including six full-time assemblers working on lighting production. “We’re really proud that we’re designed in Yorkshire and made in Yorkshire,” says Ally. “James has a real love of materials and wants people to feel like they’re getting a piece of design.”
That focus on detail runs through the showroom itself. Visitors can compare finishes, feel the weight of handles, test dimmers and see how lighting changes the mood of a room.
“People underestimate those little interactions you have every day with your home,” says Ally. “The way a switch feels when you turn it on and off, the sound it makes - those things add up.”
James, who designed and built the showroom himself, says practicality came first. “Most lighting shops can feel overcrowded and overwhelming. I looked at how people would move through the space and compare products.”
That sensitivity to environment is not accidental. Both Ally and James are neurodiverse and share a diagnosis of ADHD, while James was also diagnosed with autism in his early 40s. They believe it shapes both the business and the products they create.
“We’re really aware of that sensory overload feeling,” says Ally. “When spaces are too overwhelming, you don’t feel calm or safe.”
James agrees. “We’ve probably inadvertently designed products around that. We naturally focus on creating homes that feel calming.”
That thinking appears increasingly aligned with current interiors trends. Warm finishes such as antique brass are now among the company’s strongest sellers, replacing the stark black fittings that once dominated the market.
“With all the chaos in the world, people are looking for sanctuary,” says James. “Natural materials feel real. They feel grounding.”
The past few years, however, have been anything but calm for the business itself.
Like many companies operating in the interiors sector, Dowsing & Reynolds was hit hard by the slowdown that followed the pandemic boom, alongside rising costs and falling consumer confidence. In 2024, the business appointed administrators but was saved by Ally and James themselves in a move aimed at protecting jobs and stabilising the company.
“We’ve had to become much more streamlined,” says James. “It’s a very hard market now.”
The new showroom is part of that strategy, alongside expansion into trade markets and international growth plans targeting Europe and the United States. “We know we can’t stand still,” says Ally. “The showroom is about helping people make decisions with confidence.”
Those decisions matter more than ever in a housing market where homeowners are thinking carefully before spending. “If people are paying tradespeople, then they want products that last,” says James.
The pair have seen first-hand how details such as lighting and switches influence house sales. When they sold their own family home last year, the buyers specifically negotiated to keep the fittings in place.
“We know these details add value,” says Ally. “People are putting ‘Dowsing & Reynolds fixtures and fittings throughout’ into estate agent listings.”
Their personal lives have also changed significantly. Ally and James separated in 2024 after many years together, but continue to run the business side-by-side while co-parenting their eight-year-old daughter. “We probably work together better than ever now,” says Ally.
The pair live only minutes apart in Leeds and remain deeply connected through both the business and family life. “It’s evolved from being a married couple running a business to being a creative duo,” says Ally.