A TROVE OF TREASURES

Slowly and meticulously, Ali and Ian Heath have graced their Georgian townhouse with cherished finds to create a home full of memories

- AGATHA BELL

Ali Heath has carved out a career sourcing, styling and writing about beautiful interiors. But her own notion of home is a space filled with soul: love, family, friends, the hustle of everyday life, and a passion for collecting and longevity. ‘We’ve lived here for 18 years,’ says Ali, ‘and the house has constantly changed with us as our children, Grace, 17, and Archie, 14, have grown.’

When Ali and her husband, Ian, bought the 18th-century townhouse, a former brewer’s home in a Surrey market town, they were drawn to its symmetrical proportions and abundant period details: fireplaces, shuttered sash windows, bread oven, staircase and walled garden. Soon after moving in, Ali set up an antique company, and over two decades the house’s original features have formed the backdrop for treasured finds sourced through work, travel and life. ‘Every piece recalls a special memory of a time, person or place,’ says Ali. ‘They include the heavy antique gilt frame I sourced on one of my first buying trips, the Man Hat Tan abstract Ian bought for me from a street seller in New York and large corals from a market in Île de Ré.’