Irene Forte, her husband Felix Winckler, and their two children moved into a townhouse on a quiet block in London’s Kensington neighborhood just over a year ago. But she’s felt connected to that address for far longer: “The street I am on is the street where my primary school was, where I went from the age of three to 11,” she says. “It feels a little like going back in time.”
The interiors are very much of the moment, however. Enlisting the help of designer Alice Gyllenkrok, Forte created a home that she describes as “minimalist but still cozy.” Prints and patterns a few and far between, but modern marble furniture abounds. The walls, meanwhile, are covered in polished plaster.
Forte, who is the founder of the eponymous skincare line Irene Forte Skincare, always knew she wanted a palette of earth tones in her house—she uses the same tones for her branding, drawn to the sense of calm it provides. Her kitchen features a gentle eggshell, while her bedroom is swathed in a soothing flax yellow with ochre accents; a bathroom, meanwhile, boasts burnt umber. Natural accents are dotted throughout. (Many of them are courtesy of Irene’s mother, who regularly drops off blooms and branches from her garden in Surrey.) “It is quite a clean space,” says Forte. “Lots of greens and earthy tones,” says Forte.
In her living room sits a white marble table by Gyllenkrok and James Elliott; the piece is one of Forte’s favorites, as it was the first object ever made from this particular stone, which comes from a quarry that opened in 2023. Surrounding it are sculptural olive green chairs by Studio Wilson Copp as well as a matching sofa by Ransom Dunn. (The shade is a favorite color of Forte, whose skincare brand is known for their olive eye cream. She says that the whole room is “very close to the aesthetic of my brand.”)
The kitchen is her favorite space in the house. “We wanted it to feel less like a kitchen and more like a multifunction room like an orangery,” Forte says. “It’s got really high ceilings, indoor plants, and lots of light.” On one side is a wooden farmhouse table by Neutra Design; on the other is a kitchen island with a Belgian blue marble worktop. “The stone is a nod to my husband, as it s featured frequently in classical architecture in Brussels where he grew up,” she adds.
In her bathrooms, it was important to create a space where she could store and show off all of her skincare products. Each has ample counter space, and one even includes an alcove shelf that artfully displays bottles and jars. She and Gyllenkrok then designed an accompanying walk-in shower with coordinating green-gray accents that match the packaging.
But above all? “We wanted to create a family forever home,” Forte says.
