Ali grew up in Riverside, Connecticut, where her childhood memories center on the natural world. She spent her time climbing trees and exploring the area around her home, often looking over the fence at the next-door property. That neighboring yard, she says, felt like something out of a fairy tale. “Our family’s backyard was beautiful, but our next-door neighbors’ yard was downright magical. I still remember peering over the fence, wondering what they kept in their big red barns— until one day I was invited to see for myself,” Ali recalls of her upbringing in the sleepy enclave. She notes that the neighbors were just the third owners of the two-acre chestnut farm and classic Colonial farmhouse built by Charles Lockwood in 1804. The property included a small barn acting as a summer kitchen and a larger one packed with curiosities. Up in the loft, Ali found a Revolutionary War cannon and an old-time car.
Decades later, the land faced a different fate. When developers planned to demolish the farm, Ali stepped in to save it. She purchased the property with the goal of preserving its history for her family. Her efforts transformed the site into a functional home and business. One of the red barns became a playhouse for her four children, while the other evolved into a shop for her expanding collection of vintage and antique wares. She attributes this passion to her parents, avid collectors of early American folk art and painted furniture. “I inherited my love of antiques from my parents,” Ali explains. “They were purists, but I prefer a mix of old and new, high and low, painted and natural.” She started dealing in antiques as a side job while her children were babies, eventually turning the family’s passion into a large-scale operation.
Her children are now adults in their 20s, and the playhouse has been converted into a showroom for the items she acquires. Ali travels across the East Coast and throughout Europe in England, France, Belgium, and Sweden to find treasures. The larger barn now holds furniture, lighting, and architectural elements. Against the chestnut-clad walls stand crusty case pieces like a wonky cupboard stocked with ironstone platters and hand-painted ceramic pitchers. A rustic commode inside holds cotton quilts, embroidered napkins, and homespun ticking cloths. The smaller barn displays antique artwork, urns, footstools, and fauteuils alongside barware and serveware. Among the assorted bric-a-brac is an array of Nantucket baskets. These items are not mass-produced; they are cultural relics handwoven by members of the Kane clan, the island’s “first family” of basketweaving.
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Ali hosts casual alfresco gatherings for barefoot guests and their pets. She believes nothing is too fragile to be used outdoors. She often moves her antique Belgian table, Spanish rattan chairs, and vintage leather armchairs from the dining room onto the lawn. For the flowers, she enlists Dana Worlock of Hedgerow Flower Farm + Studio, who helps cultivate her gardens. Together, they create arrangements using verbena, dahlias, chamomile, honeysuckle, and grapevine. These trails of flowers decorate tables set with vintage linens, bamboo flatware, heirloom wedding china, and Murano glass goblets. “We are all familiar with the concept of bringing the outdoors in, but I like bringing the indoors out,” Ali says. “It creates a sense of whimsy that enhances my guests’ experience and allows me to experiment with my collections to create unexpected tablescapes.”
The expansive garden features an array of blooms. Dana Worlock tends to the beds, ensuring a continuous supply of fresh cuttings. Soft-hued zinnias provide a backdrop for the lively arrangements. Ali frequently incorporates these findings into her interior displays, reflecting a balance between nature and her curated collection.
