This lovingly curated home is filled with charm – and treasured memories
Stepping into Alison’s Knightsbridge home is like being transported into a world of elegance and personality, where every corner tells a story, and where you feel the warmth of a family’s history. It’s no surprise that this celebrated interior designer and entrepreneur has called this place home for 17 years – it has been so clearly lived in and loved. But now, like many mums whose children have flown the nest, she’s preparing for her next chapter.
For Alison, the concept of home is deeply personal. “It’s a place I don’t want to leave in the morning and can’t wait to get back to at night,” she reflects. “It engages all my senses and is where I feel my true self.” And it shows. Every room in her house feels like an extension of her creative spirit, full of rich colours, sumptuous textures, and meaningful touches that make it unmistakably hers.
Naturally, Alison’s home is filled with pieces that really mean something to her; everything has been thoughtfully curated. One standout is her Chinese painted desk. “I commissioned it as a replica of an original sold at Bonhams,” she says. “I look forward to sitting at it every day to work.” Another is her collection of coloured glass, inherited from her grandmother, which she keeps inside the cocktail cabinet. “I’d probably rescue the cocktail cabinet in a fire,” she jokes.
Shopping for these treasures is an adventure in itself. Alison describes herself as “brand agnostic”, happily picking up fi nds everywhere from antique fairs and high-end stores like Ralph Lauren to Amazon and even Primark. “I’m very eclectic,” she says. And it’s this that gives her home its unique character. Now, as she prepares to leave this beloved house, Alison is looking forward to her next adventure. “Having originally lived in the countryside, I’m quite keen to go back there,” she says. “For another chapter and another business idea – you can’t keep a good entrepreneur down!” While details are under wraps, she teases a new lifestyle content project and a reimagining of her original TV series, Home in the Country, for 2025.
Of course, some pieces will make the move with her. The Chinese painted desk and the cocktail cabinet are non-negotiable. “They’re too much a part of my daily life and my story,” she says. And who could blame her? These pieces are mementos of a life well-lived.
As if moving house weren’t enough, Alison has big plans for the coming year. “I’m expanding my brand to incorporate healthy living for women, especially over 50,” she reveals. This includes a new website, a fresh brand identity, and a lifestyle book called Fit & Fabulous Over Fifty – How to Rewire Your Second Act. It’s a bold move, but one that feels entirely in keeping with her energy and drive.
For now, though, she’s savouring the last moments in a home that’s meant so much to her. “This house has been the backdrop to so many memories,” she says. “It’s elegant, yes, but above all, it’s been a home.” And isn’t that exactly what every house should aspire to be?
