COCOON: Creating Homes With Heart By Ali Heath
In COCOON: Creating Homes with Heart, Ali Heath celebrates spaces of retreat—including Tasmania’s Satellite Island, a remote sanctuary shaped by nature and slow living.
Words HANDE RENSHAW Photos ABBIE MELLÉ
‘The island asks nothing of you—and in doing so, gives everything. There’s no schedule, no distraction,’ says Ali Heath.
‘I’ve always believed that the soul of a home is found in its materials—the way they age, their rich patina, and the gentle way they hold memories for us to recall and reimagine, as we wander throughout our homes.’
Natural and unpretentious, the materials on Satellite Island are tactile and storied—pieces made, inherited, or found, responding to the wild beauty of the setting. Interiors feel deeply connected to their surroundings—shaped by raw textures, sea air, and shifting light.
COCOON: Creating Homes With Heart is now available to purchase through selected bookstores and online.
‘When you listen to your heart and follow your own path, home feels connected to us as individuals—a place that you always want to return to,’ says Ali Heath (pictured above). Photo: Courtesy of Ali Heath.
Thoughtfully chosen, each interior element—linen, wood, wool—layers softness and calm into the space.
“There’s a thoughtfulness to the way minimalism is used—not just as an aesthetic, but as a philosophy. The simplicity feels like a warm embrace, not a sterile absence, and cosy natural layers heighten the sense of warmth and welcome.”
‘The boathouse cradles you in its quiet, offering moments of deep solitude and introspection. Time to fall asleep to the stars, and if lucky to experience the phosphorescence-rich waters at night—which Kate describes as feeling as if you are swimming in a sea of diamonds,’ says Ali Heath.
‘The island invites you to be present—to listen, breathe, and rediscover the beauty in small things,’ says Ali Heath.
In her new (and third!) interiors book, COCOON: Creating Homes with Heart, Ali Heath explores spaces that offer a true sense of retreat. One such place: Satellite Island—a remote Tasmanian escape where wild beauty and simple, soulful interiors invite you to slow down and reconnect.
Situated off Tasmania’s southern coast, in the remote D’Entrecasteaux Channel, Satellite Island is a place of elemental beauty—an island, off an island, off an island. Accessible only by boat or helicopter, it is a cocooning retreat where wild nature, slow living and thoughtful design intersect.
Inherited by Will Alstergren from his Norwegian uncle in the 1960s, the island has been lovingly restored by Will and his wife Kate, whose deep respect for the land and its history continues to shape the experience for their family and the small groups of guests they welcome. ‘For me, the idea of cocooning is allowing nature and our living spaces to merge as one,’ Kate shares.
When Ali Heath first came across Satellite Island on Instagram, it struck her as the embodiment of retreat—a spirit she sought to capture in her latest book. ‘The island has always felt like a completely unique escape—a place that whispers quietly,’ she explains. ‘Time slows down here, and bodies and minds get a chance to reconnect with what’s important.’
As guests arrive, dramatic cliffs, blue gum forests and hidden coves give way to panoramic sea views and the calm of blue-green waters. In summer, the island’s raw beauty is sun-drenched and expansive; in winter, the horizon stretches toward snowcapped mountains, offering an ever-changing backdrop to the island’s quiet rhythms.
Set among sea cliffs and blue gum trees, the island’s interiors, designed with Australian stylist Tess Newman-Morris, reflect this ethos. Scandinavian-inspired simplicity meets the rugged landscape—whitewashed walls, sun-bleached timbers, heirloom linens and natural textures create a sense of ease and connection. ‘The simplicity feels like a warm embrace,’ Ali notes. ‘Each piece earns its place, and the raw textures of linen, wood and wool create a sense of quiet refuge.’
Balancing solitude and connection is central to the experience. In the boathouse, guests can fall asleep to the sound of waves and starry skies, while long communal tables invite shared meals and conversation. ‘That tension—between stillness and togetherness—is what makes the island feel so profoundly human,’ says Ali.
Satellite Island continues to evolve under Kate and Will’s care—a place that offers retreat, restoration and a deeper connection to the land. As Ali writes in COCOON, ‘It’s a place that reflects back what you need most in that moment in time.’
COCOON: Creating Homes with Heart is now available to purchase through selected bookstores and online.
