Leeds-based luxe interiors brand Dowsing & Reynolds has officially opened its doors to its first store in Victoria Quarter’s County Arcade, showcasing a range of striking fittings and stylish accents for the home.
Spanning 2,165 sq ft across two floors and designed by James & Ally Dowsing-Reynolds with the help of local interior designer Karen Knox from Making Spaces, the concept shop has a dedicated section for each room in the home. The ‘kitchen’ features design-led cupboard and drawer handles, knobs and pulls whilst the ‘living room’ showcases paint, table lamps, outside lights, as well as the company’s range of faux foliage. Customers will be able to browse sockets and switches in unique finishes, and customise their own light while exploring the range of pendant and wall lighting in the ‘hallway’ and ‘bedroom’.
The shop has been entirely decorated in ‘mud wrestling’, a shade of dark grey sold by Dowsing & Reynolds, and features the brand’s characterful monkey lamps throughout. Bespoke units have been designed and built to house the rainfall showers and wall mounted taps in the ‘bathroom’ upstairs, and moss walls bring the store interiors to life.
With the help of retail psychologist Kate Nightingale from Style Psychology, Dowsing & Reynolds have created a brand new store concept and worked to provide the level of shopping experience expected from Victoria Quarter’s customers. Everything from the specific way the products are presented in layers and placed to create intrigue and inspire creativity, to the way customers are guided throughout the ‘home’, have all been carefully considered.
Ally Dowsing-Reynolds, said: “With such a range of products on display in our new shop, and more yet to come, we’ve worked around the clock to bring something extra special to those shoppers in Leeds that are looking to make their homes more striking with carefully selected finishing touches. It’s about the way a kitchen handle feels to the touch as you open a cupboard or drawer, and a statement light that creates just the right ambience.
“We’re beyond thrilled to be nestled in the heart of the Victoria Quarter among such high profile names in fashion and design, after focusing solely on our online business for the past 7 years. The team we’ve chosen to work in-store are interior design aficionados and are passionate about helping inspire customers to create a home that says something about them. We often get asked whether our products can be experienced ‘offline’ so we look forward to welcoming both neighbours and customers alike to get up close with our products.”
Karen Knox from Making Spaces, said: “A fierce attention to detail and love for the alternative is something Dowsing & Reynolds and I have in common, so our desire to create the ‘wow’ factor whilst not overwhelming customers with products, was perfectly aligned. We wanted to create a unique shopping experience and concept which showcased the products whilst making people feel at ease and more importantly, like being at home.”
Kate Nightingale from Style Psychology, added: “As a consumer psychologist and human experience expert, I was asked by Dowsing & Reynolds to help them with their exciting new store concept. I conducted a behavioural review of the proposed experience with its consistency in mind as well as paying attention to product ‘grabability’, brand and product story, and how immersive the overall experience is.”
Dowsing & Reynolds launched in 2012 by James Dowsing-Reynolds, selling concrete based lamps and vintage style bulbs. Gathering momentum over the years, the brand now has a wide and varied portfolio and has scooped prestigious awards including Best Home & Garden, DIY & Tools eCommerce website in the eCommerce Awards in 2017, affirming its place in the design-led interior market.
The brand has been a cult favourite of interiors TV programmes for a number of years, having been featured on the likes of Grand Designs, The Interior Design Challenge, George Clarke’s Old House New Home and Ugly House to Lovely House.
