Surrey Homes | SH61 | November 2019 | Gift supplement inside

Above: In a guest room in the older side of the house, the
ceiling beams are complemented by a built-in wooden
bed – an idea which evolved after a family trip to India
Right: Ally has painted one bathroom, with a claw-foot
bath right in front of the window, a lovely pale blue
Nothing in the room matches and there is a combination
of colours and patterns – blue, red, brown, green, paisley,
stripe, ethnic, damask – which sounds improbable,
but all works together in situ. “Once you get the floor
plan right you can get away with murder,” says Ally.
One of the themes that pulls it together is a masterful
and subtle use of symmetry. Two slipper chairs, upholstered
in blue and white Indian throws, face each other across the
ottoman and two different pairs of table lambs frame the sofa,
on matching side tables, and the mirror on the back wall.
Those lamps sit on a custom-made radiator cover ordered
online from a company called Jali – another of Ally’s secret
weapons. “They cover ugly radiators and work like console
tables, so you have another flat surface to put things on,
while allowing the warm air to circulate into the room.”
It’s yet another invaluable tip which shows just
how much hiring a professional interior designer
can bring to a house. And when the bones of it are
as happy as this one, the result is glorious.
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