Her homes helped her make a name for herself as the original influencer—but where does Martha Stewart live? The octogenarian, whose moniker is synonymous with aesthetically pleasing dinner parties and handcrafted everything, first burst onto the homemaking scene in the early 1970s, after she and then-husband Andrew Stewart purchased and restored a farmhouse in Connecticut on Turkey Hill Road. Martha’s keen eye for decorating and penchant for restoration was obvious, and led to a series of business endeavors that quickly earned her national acclaim. She began a catering business in 1976 that resulted in her first book deal, Entertaining, released in 1982, which features photos of her impressive home at Turkey Hill. Since then, Martha has published 100 books (as of May 2024), including Martha Stewart’s Secrets for Entertaining, Martha Stewart’s Christmas, and The Wedding Planner, among others. She’s also expanded beyond books into the realm of media and housewares, with the launch of her own eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, in 1990, followed by a TV show and global brand consolidating all of her various ventures.
These days, Martha is staying busy with a whole host of projects, including—but not limited to—her show Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party and a new fashion line sold through QVC. “I have two mottos,” she said in a self-titled documentary released in fall 2024. “One is: Learn something new every day. And the second one is: When you’re through changing, you’re through.” Here, we’re sharing a look at the places that Martha has called home over the years, and that have inspired her ever-evolving, ever-growing lifestyle brand.
Turkey Hill Connecticut estate
This was where it all began. In 1971, Martha and Andrew purchased a farmstead in Westport, Connecticut, that came to be known as Turkey Hill, for $46,750. The farmhouse that sat on the grounds of a former onion farm was originally built in 1805 and “came with two acres of deep, loamy soil, a few large trees, and not much else,” Martha wrote in a 2011 essay. Still, the couple saw a lot of potential, and metaphorically waded into the muck to reimagine the property into what would later become a familiar backdrop for many fans of Martha’s brand of rustic living. They planted an orchard of “old-fashioned fruit trees,” added a swimming pool and a two-car garage, and more. (One Father’s Day, Martha writes, she gifted Andrew with a disassembled 1900 Connecticut tobacco barn, which they “reconfigured… for both storage and parties.”) They picked up two adjacent acres of land for $47,000 in 1975 and continued to build. The result was a sprawling property with a carriage house the couple built by hand, a bespoke kitchen with cabinets made of native Massachusetts sycamore wood, an expansive garden, and farm animals galore. Martha and Andrew separated in 1987 and divorced in 1990; the property sold for $6.7 million nearly two decades later, in 2007.
Hamptons home
In 1991, Martha was newly single and ready to start a new chapter. Her only daughter, Alexis, encouraged her to consider spending time in the Hamptons, where the social scene was a bit more readily available than at the quieter remove of Turkey Hill. Martha initially rented a small cottage and threw dinner parties; her daughter insisted she needed to own a home there. As such, Martha scouted the area for an appropriate residence and set her sights on an 1870s shingled cottage just one block from the ocean. “It was the oldest house on the block and a total wreck,” Martha said of what came to be known as Lily Pond. “I decided I had to have it.” She paid $1.7 million for the six-bedroom home and set about transforming it into a beachside retreat, with hardwood floors, wainscoting on the ceiling, and a bedroom suite made up of three of the original house’s rooms. She is said to have planted some 1,800 tulip bulbs, as well as climbing roses and hydrangeas, to beautify the outside. “This house has been a restful, beautiful sanctuary for me,” she said. Martha held onto the Hamptons retreat for some time before selling it for $16.5 million in 2021, nearly double the reported asking price of $8.4 million.
Maine residence
Though the Hamptons getaway was a boon for Martha’s social life, the multihyphenate soon found herself looking for a place to escape the summertime heat. In 1997, she found that retreat in Maine, on a hill overlooking Seal Harbor, at an estate known as Skylands. Originally built in 1925 for auto executive Edsel Ford, by architect Duncan Candler, the 12-bedroom, three-story mansion sits at the end of a long and winding road just outside of Acadia National Park. A unique pink granite driveway leads up to the “rugged” home filled with open shelves, oversize mirrors, large windows, and antique furniture. There are vegetable gardens and flower gardens surrounded by tall red spruce trees. Martha still owns this home and summers there to this day.
Bedford Farm/Cantitoe Corners
