ALEX DAULEY
ICON OF TODAY
Alex Dauley is a London based interior designer and TV presenter. We chose her as an icon of industry for the depth of her work, the advocacy she leads, and the momentum she has built across residential and commercial design. Then her WOW!house 2025 room crystallised that story and blew our minds.
Leading Dauley Design, a studio known for contemporary yet enduring interiors, she believes in the transformative power of home design and creates experiences that feel personal, immersive, and emotionally resonant. Her storytelling sensibility is grounded in inclusivity and creativity.
Portrait by Milo Brown
Q: Alex we are thrilled to celebrate you as one of our Icons of Today. To begin, canyou take us back to the start of your journey in design, what first drew you tointeriors and how has that shaped the path you’re on today?
Despite being a very creative and artistic child I hadn’t found my true passion for a career until I started a part time Friday “Introduction to Interiors” course at KLC School of Design, aged 32 back in 2015. After the very first lesson I was hooked and what was intended to be a light hearted get away from the usual treadmill of life, turned into a very intentional journey to carve out a space for myself in this industry. I started with no projects, clients or contacts, but I had a will to succeed and very supportive people in my corner, who knew I could achieve something special.
Q: You co-founded the amazing United in Design, which has been such a catalystfor change in the industry. What inspired you to take this step, and how do youfeel it is reshaping opportunities and access in design?
Growing up in Wales I was used to being the only black person in most rooms I occupied, but I was surprised that in multicultural London, I too found myself “the only” at design school and at the many events within the industry. Following the murder of George Floyd a spotlight was shone on the world, highlighting the inequalities that black people face and as an industry we had to address this head on.
Sophie Ashby and I are doers, we take action and UiD was born from a place of wanting to open doors, create equity, inclusion, empathy and understanding. We needed to bridge the gap, celebrate difference and embrace the many facets of people, their cultures and their backgrounds. Businesses are now hiring from a larger, more diverse pool of applicants and people of colour feel more confident to step into spaces that previously they felt excluded from. The landscape of the industry has changed since our inception in 2020, and it remains one of my greatest achievements and source of joy.
Q: At our International Women’s Day event, you spoke powerfully about the importance of women in design and how we can pivot and adapt to thrive in achanging industry. Can you share a little more about those reflections and whatthey mean to you today?
The older I get the more I realise the importance of self, staying true to oneself and leaning into what serves you. The longer you work in this industry and observe the ways in which people operate and work, you learn to navigate and find a path that suits you. I realised that you have to create a business model that works for you and your clients, and that will change over time. We as people and especially women, evolve, so there have been several iterations to the way in which I structure my business and ultimately you need to be responsive to market conditions and use your experience to build a brand that feels authentic.
Q: Your Nucleus Media Room for this year's WOW!house was stunning! Can you tell us about your experience, designing for it and what it meant to you personally?
This room was a true representation of who I am as a designer, from the overall aesthetic to the way in which I collaborate with brands and suppliers. The placement of narrative and storytelling was at the heart of the design and it was an aspirational reflection of what I am manifesting for my future life with my husband and my family. To be given full creative freedom and control of a space without constraint is the magic of WOW!house. Many of our projects will see several iterations and be passed through so many hands, that the initial brilliance of the design can be diluted by the time it reaches completion, but not at WOW.
This was an amazing project and opportunity to really put a line in the sand. It announced with it’s whole chest, “I am Alex Dauley, this is my design ambition and what I am capable of”, and for that I am incredibly grateful.
Q: Looking across your career so far, are there particular projects or moments that you feel have been turning points, where you knew you were creating something truly meaningful?
For me each project is a learning curve as they are all so different as each client and brief is different. I always want to push myself creatively on every project, ensuring that each one get’s better and better. A huge turning point for me was starting United in Design, suddenly people knew who I was, I had a platform and I was able to enact change. That platform brought projects and connections, which I have continued to build upon over the years.
I also had a lightbulb moment in 2023 when I turned 40. I realised I was the USP of my brand and I had to commit to being unapologetically authentic and myself in all things. You cannot please everyone all of the time, such is life, but people buy people, and if you radiate who you are, your clients and collaborators buy into that and your work will become more honest and a true reflection of your brand.
Q: Collaboration has clearly been a huge part of your journey, from community-driven initiatives to creative partnerships. What do you value most incollaboration, and how does it shape your work?
I don’t think you can be an island in this industry or in life. We learn so much from partnership and collaboration, that as a creative you thrive on community and connection. However, despite saying that, I am actually quite introverted, and as an only child, I like my own space, so you will mainly find me at home and not at networking events, which I find quite difficult (not that anyone would ever say that of me), but thatloud, outgoing personality is only one side of the story.
I value my suppliers and brands that I work with and see them as an extension of my team, it is so important to build those relationships and nurture them. Equally you must surround yourself with people who will champion you in rooms you are not in but also hold you accountable when necessary. I keep my circle incredibly small, but my friends and family are everything to me and I very much see people like Sophie Asbhy, Evey Dunbavin-Hands, Neena Trehan, Busola Evans, Toni Black and Grant Pierrus as my industry family.
Q: When you think about legacy, both personally and through United in Design, what do you hope to leave behind for the next generation of designers?
I hope that people will be inspired that a black, working class woman from Wales, who found the industry at 32, as a Mother of two, started a business from scratch and can not only achieve her personal goals but can also serve her community and bring people along on the journey at the same time. Personal achievement is wonderful but helping others is far more meaningful. So whilst my designs may date over time and projects will be reimagined, the industry will be forever changed by UiD and I hope to have represented my community positively and created an environment for acceptance and inclusion.
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