Who is Henry Reynolds?

Every so often I get asked, “Who is Henry Reynolds?” And the truth is… he didn’t start as a person. He started as a feeling.

So no, he is not my father, grandfather, business partner etc. I am the founder and creator at Henry Reynolds Design - you won't be speaking to Henry - but the path that led me to create this brand is deeply meaningful to me, and I'd love to share a condensed version with you.

Back in 2021, I had just moved into a beautiful century home in Port Hope and was fully consumed - in the best way - by design ideas. I was still running a staging company at the time, and while I’m grateful for that chapter, staging always felt rushed and temporary to me - a quick fix for the sake of a sale. Interior design was the opposite: thoughtful, intentional, lasting.

So I created an Instagram account as an outlet. And suddenly, I needed a name. I didn’t want to call it “Ashleen Hutchinson Design” - partly because my name is a mouthful, but also because I dream big - really big.

I’ve always known I wanted this brand to grow past me someday, and I could never imagine selling my own name. So I went searching for something that felt larger, something I could build into.

I remembered a podcast that said: When building a brand, start by creating your ideal client. Give them a name, a personality, a scent, a favourite drink. So I did. And to my surprise, I ended up creating a very sophisticated, warm, successful-but-humble man. British, maybe. Charming without trying. Someone whose home was beautifully lived-in - effortless, not showy.

Image of my living room in the Port Hope home I was living in at the time of this brand creation in Dec 2021

Then I started thinking about what “home” means to me. My childhood wasn’t simple, and “home” never felt like one place. But there was one exception: a mid-century bungalow on Henry Street in Whitby. That was the house I remember with the most warmth - the one I go back to in my mind.

Image of 415 Henry Street in Whitby, ON. The home that holds my favourite childhood memories

Around that same time, I have core memories of going on walks to Trafalgar Castle, the private school for girls nearby. I never attended, but I dreamed of it. I loved the stone lions at the entrance. We’d play there after hours and I’d romanticize the lives of the girls who went there. The school was on Reynolds Street.

Image of Trafalgar Castle in Whitby, ON on Reynolds Street

Henry. Reynolds. The two names belonged to the two places that made me feel the closest thing to “home” growing up. And together… they sounded exactly like the man I’d created in my head.

That’s how the brand was born - not from one specific person, but from a blend of nostalgia, aspiration, stability, imagination, and the feeling of a home you never want to leave.

I used this portrait to style my Project Cowan photoshoot and had to purchase it to keep in my office - this antique oil painting felt very "Henry".

Now, when I design, I still think about Henry - this quiet, intentional, slightly posh alter ego who anchors the brand. The spaces I create are for real people, of course, but the mindset? The mood? The tone? That’s Henry.

So if you’ve ever wondered who he is… he’s part memory, part invention, part north star. And on my birthday, it felt like the right time to introduce him properly.