Inside Kate and William’s forever home: Princess is kitting out Forest Lodge in her preferred ‘classic contemporary style’ to create a ‘lovely but absolutely inoffensive’ look

As Kate and William settle into their ‘forever home’ at Forest Lodge with their three children, there will be plenty to admire in their new surroundings, including Venetian windows, marble fireplaces and a barrel-vaulted hall ceiling.

It’s no wonder Kate, a keen interior designer, said she ‘thoroughly enjoyed’ the property’s renovation and sourced much of the furniture from high-end British brands.

The eight-bedroom house is twice the size of Adelaide Cottage, where the family last lived, and gives the royal plenty of space to add their personal touch.

And if their previous home is anything to go by, the home will likely be decked out in Kate’s signature ‘contemporary classic’ look – which has previously been described as ‘pretty’ but still ‘totally harmless’.

The Princess of Wales is understood to have decked out her new home in opulent décor costing more than £100 a meter from Marina Mill, a firm that specializes in hand-designed and screen-printed fabric.

The factory, which Kate visited in September, has supplied dozens of royal houses, including Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Highgrove, and is world-famous for the quality of its fabrics and the fact that it still makes everything by hand.

Kate also appears to have picked out a dining table that seats 24 from a warehouse specializing in antiques; which suggests the future Queen hopes to host dinner parties at the resort.

However, judging by Prince Harry’s memoir The Spare, Kate and William will make sure their dream home also includes all the glamor seen in their former home.

The Wales family recently bought the four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage, a World War II mansion in Windsor Great Park. Cleared for new pastures at the ranked Forest Lodge (pictured)

The Prince and Princess of Wales are photographed from one of their living rooms in their Kensington Palace apartment in 2021. There were many family photos in their home

It is thought Kate and William may also make structural changes to the property. They had previously moved the kitchen to the center of the property at Anmer Hall, their country home on the Sandringham Estate.

The 328-year-old Forest Lodge, which has six bathrooms, underwent modest interior and exterior renovations, including new doors and windows, wall removal, refinished ceilings and new floors. It was last renovated in 2001 at a cost of £1.5 million.

The Welsh have covered their own costs of moving and refurbishment and will pay market rent to the Crown Estate.

And if the previous renovation of their Kensington Palace flat is anything to go by, their new surroundings will be furnished to the highest standards.

In Spare, Harry, 41, described Wiliam and Kate’s home as ‘gorgeous’ and said their luxury home left him and wife Meghan, 44, ‘ashamed’ of their ‘comfortable’ living space in two-bedroom Nottingham Cottage.

‘Wallpapers, ceiling tiles, walnut book shelves full of peaceful colors, priceless works of art. Wonderful. It’s like a museum.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were keen to provide a ‘fresh start’ for their three children: 12-year-old Prince George, ten-year-old Princess Charlotte and seven-year-old Prince Louis, who will start high school next autumn

On the wall of Flat 1A was a historic oil painting, A Page with Two Horses, dated 1655, by Aelbert Cuyp.

‘We congratulated them on their renovation without holding back compliments, while being ashamed of our Ikea lamps and the second-hand sofa we had recently bought on sale at Sofa.com with Meg’s credit card.’

The 20-room Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace was Wales’s main home in London until summer 2022.

The facility was renovated with £4.5 million of taxpayers’ money in 2016; However, the bill for fixtures and furniture was footed by the couple.

Perhaps the Duke of Sussex’s museum comparison stemmed from Kate and William’s love of the paintings that littered the walls of their reception room in 2016.

When the Prince and Princess of Wales hosted former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle almost a decade ago, photos of their reception rooms were published.

Keen fans noticed Aelbert Cuyp’s 1655 A Page with Two Horses on the wall, raising the question of whether this historic canvas would follow them to their new home.

The Mail on Sunday art critic Philip Hensher said the painting, which dates from the Golden Age of Dutch design, would be of particular interest to Art History graduates like Kate.

An unidentified piece of scenery hung on the adjacent white wall, also showing the Princess’s appreciation for creative skills.

The house last underwent renovations in 2001 (pictured), costing £1.5 million.

The living room design of Flat 1A was more reminiscent of a comfortable country house than a large, stately hall; The floral pillows adorning the cozy-looking cream sofas gave an idea of ​​her preferred aesthetic.

Continuing her love of quintessential British decor, Kate’s previous home in London also included a velvet pillow by Kelly Hoppen, a Jo Malone candle and a bouquet of flowers by royal florist Simon Lycett; This suggests that he may have used these two designers again for his new place.

However, he may also have kept the Persian rug from the Royal Collection, believed to be worth around £30,000, in a bid to demonstrate his creative talent and appreciation for international furnishings.

The Welsh are also fond of a large, often expensive, hardcover coffee table book, intended to be browsed and used as a topic of conversation rather than in-depth reading.

In 2016 they exhibited the £95 wildlife book On This Earth, A Shadow Falls by Nick Brandt, which pays tribute to William’s love of the natural world.

Their artistic books might sit in a modest bar, as a 70cl bottle of Smirnoff ice, valued at £12, and a bottle of Gordon’s gin, valued at £14, are pictured sitting at a corner table in their previous home – suggesting they enjoyed a drink or two when entertaining guests.

William and Kate will have enough space to have their own office, as Forest Lodge has an impressive eight bedrooms.

In March 2020, the then-Duchess of Cambridge posted a photo of herself wearing a pink suit while talking on the phone from her desk, giving royal fans an insight into Kate’s interior design tastes.

The mother-of-three’s desk displayed 12 cloth-bound Penguin Classics books, including Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility and George Eliot’s Middlemarch.

The house has a barrel-vaulted living room ceiling (pictured)

While the work was continuing in 2001, II. Front reception room at Grade II listed Forest Lodge

In the background of the photo, eagle-eyed lovers of The Firm could spot an inviting white plush sofa scattered with printed pillows.

In contrast, a quick look at Prince William’s office showed that the royal had placed his desk in front of a gorgeous marble fireplace.

The father of three keeps a photo frame facing him as he works, on a filing cabinet next to his printer next to his chair at his desk.

One of the grand touches in the room is the antique ceramic lamp with a white shade; perhaps it indicates that the future King will design a more useful workspace.

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, William and Kate took part in video calls and sent recorded messages from their then-home at Kensington Palace and the late Queen’s residence at Sandringham in Norfolk, where they set up a temporary office for lockdown while living at nearby Anmer Hall.

Interior design experts analyzed images of the two offices and agreed that the Princess preferred the ‘contemporary classic’ style, adding that she injected it into ‘every space she lived in’.

Reviewing another of the 20 rooms in Kensington Palace, ufurnish.com Founder and CEO Deirdre McGettrick previously told the Daily Mail that the couple opted for ‘earthly cream with a soft neutral tone to keep their room fresh, calm and modern.’

Interior design expert Benji Lewis agrees that the tone Kate has achieved in the interiors of both Sandringham and Kensington Palace is ‘neutral contemporary classic’.

‘There is clearly a joy in the choice of wall colour, timelessly chalky – almost ballet pink – combined with clearly harmonious and muted accent colours,’ he explained.

While his wife prefers a more classic and opulent interior, Prince William (photo taken in his office at Kensington Palace in 2020) seems to prefer a more practical style

‘There’s absolutely no color clash here, in fact it’s a very well executed, absolutely harmless color scheme because whilst it’s clearly in nice taste it also works brilliantly with her wardrobe choices and sets her up very well in terms of backdrops for her virtual dates.’

Deirdre pointed out that the royal couple have incorporated a trend that has proven popular during lockdown by introducing plants and greenery into their decorations.

‘This use of a nature-inspired trend is known to improve our well-being and bring harmony to our homes,’ he explained.

Deirdre said William and Kate had opted for natural wood materials to maintain the ‘heritage feel’ of their royal residence, although dark furniture had also previously been used to adorn royal office space.

Benji said that despite Harry’s comments on Spare, it would be easy to assume that the budget for the decorations was likely to be generous, but the way the upholstered pieces were used was ‘not overly elaborate’.

He previously explained: ‘The tailoring on the sofas is fantastic; nothing loose, covered or baggy; “But still, aside from possible small contrast stripes, additional embellishments such as the nail tip detail have been left out, so it’s a truly contemporary classic,” he explained.

He added that the artwork on the walls evoked grandeur, but it wasn’t ‘pushed in our faces’; This suggests that perhaps the Prince and Princess of Wales will adopt this modest approach when decorating their new home.

‘Equally, antique furniture shows some sort of change in our approach rather than ‘blank canvas/blank check – let’s go shopping’,’ he continued.

‘It’s smart considering the house this belongs to because it’s certainly not flashy but it’s undeniably bright and smart and considered.’

The couple, who have previously talked about how important nature is in their daily lives, seem to be a particular fan of floral designs, as seen on upholstered furniture.

Benji added: ‘Diving into pattern is a decorative detail adopted by the inclusion of multiple cushions – embroidered in a sort of Ottoman style and embroidered with curled leaves – but this may be a ready-made purchase rather than bespoke.’