Martha Stewart House Tour: Why Her Bedford Farm Still Sets the Gold Standard

Martha Stewart House Tour: Why Her Bedford Farm Still Sets the Gold Standard

Martha Stewart doesn’t just live in a house. She lives in a brand. If you’ve ever fallen down the rabbit hole of a martha stewart house tour, you know it’s less about showing off wealth and more about an obsessive, almost devotional commitment to "the good life." It’s a masterclass in how to turn 150-plus acres into a living, breathing laboratory of domesticity.

Honestly, most celebrity homes feel like sterile staging grounds. Martha’s primary residence in Bedford, New York—affectionately known as Cantitoe Corners—is the polar opposite. It’s cluttered with intent. Every copper pot has a purpose, and every "Bedford Gray" wall is there to make the light hit the peacocks just right.

The Winter House: A Lesson in Monochromatic Magic

The centerpiece of any Bedford tour is the Winter House. This 1925 farmhouse is where Martha actually spends the bulk of her time. When she first bought the property in 2000, she didn't just paint the walls; she basically invented a lifestyle around a specific shade of gray.

She calls it Bedford Gray. It’s everywhere.

You’ve probably seen the "Brown Room" on her Instagram or in the pages of Martha Stewart Living. It’s a massive 30-by-50-foot space that serves as the heart of her entertaining world. It features:

  • Sycamore veneer paneling that glows like honey.
  • A 10-foot-long table (often separated into two) for massive dinner parties.
  • Sisal rugs that Martha famously walks on barefoot.

But here’s the thing people miss: she recently updated this space during the pandemic. She flipped the layout. She took a formal dining area that had become a "de facto hallway" and carved out a zone for Zoom calls and breakfast. It’s a rare moment where even the Queen of Perfection admits a room wasn’t working for her real life.

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The Kitchen That Launched a Thousand Recipes

You can't talk about a martha stewart house tour without obsessing over the kitchen. It’s a "chef's dream," sure, but it’s surprisingly utilitarian.

Imagine a room where every inch of vertical space is working. She has open shelving—a trend she arguably pioneered—displaying stacks of white drabware and mercury glass. The pots and pans don't live in a cabinet; they hang from the ceiling like a copper installation. It’s a "working kitchen" in the truest sense.

The counters are a mix of materials, featuring a massive island that doubles as a dining space. One of the coolest details? The "servery" or butler's pantry. It's filled with her collection of silver and Paris porcelain. She’s famously said that silver shouldn’t be "fuddy-duddy." If you have it, use it. That’s the Martha mantra.

The Animals and the "Insta-Famous" Coop

The tour doesn't stop at the mudroom door. The grounds of Cantitoe Corners are arguably more famous than the house.

  • The Chicken Coop: It’s nicer than most Manhattan apartments. She keeps Araucana chickens that lay those iconic blue and green eggs.
  • The Stables: Home to her Friesian horses and miniature donkeys (Rufus and Clive).
  • The Aviary: Her front porch was recently enclosed to house 14 blue canaries and Red Factor canaries.

It’s a literal farm, not a hobby. Her crew is constantly pruning the hornbeam hedges and "pollarding" the London plane trees to keep that signature, sharp-edged look.

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Beyond Bedford: The Maine and Hamptons Legacy

While Bedford is home, the martha stewart house tour experience usually extends to her other iconic properties.

Take Skylands, her summer estate in Seal Harbor, Maine. Built for Edsel Ford in 1925, it’s a massive stone fortress of a house. It feels different—more rugged, more "old money." The driveway is made of pink granite. Inside, she uses "faux bois" concrete planters and massive 17th-century astrological globe engravings to match the coastal vibe.

Then there’s the house she sold: Lily Pond Lane in East Hampton. She owned that Victorian beauty for 30 years before letting it go in 2021. It was the "re" project—renovated, reorganized, and repainted a million times over. It was lighter, airier, and filled with taxidermy (like a 19th-century stuffed tarpon) that added a bit of "peculiar" whimsy.

What Most People Get Wrong About Martha’s Style

People think Martha is about "perfect." She’s actually about process.

When you look closely at her house, you see the "knuckles" on the trees she’s had trimmed for decades. You see the recycled asphalt on her carriage roads. You see the "sweet peat" mulch she makes from fallen trees on the property. It’s an ecosystem.

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Her design philosophy for 2026 continues to lean into "Modern Classic" vibes—mixing bold accents (like the recent red and metallic entryway trends) with the enduring neutral foundations she's built over forty years.

How to "Martha" Your Own Space

You don't need 150 acres in Westchester to steal her look.

  1. Commit to a Color: Pick a "house color" (your own version of Bedford Gray) and use it to unify different buildings or rooms.
  2. Display the Goods: Stop hiding your nice plates. Use open shelving to turn your everyday items into decor.
  3. Nature in the House: Martha brings the outdoors in, but not just with flowers. Use moss-filled planters or "found" items like iron stands.
  4. The "No-Shoe" Policy: It’s a simple way to keep those sisal rugs (and your sanity) intact.

The real takeaway from a martha stewart house tour isn't that you need more stuff. It's that you should care more about the stuff you already have. Whether it’s a 1770 colonial or a studio apartment, the goal is to make it "a place that inspires and delights."

If you want to bring a piece of this aesthetic home without the renovation bill, start by evaluating your lighting. Martha often says adding a mirror is like adding a window—it’s the easiest way to double the natural light in a "drab" room. Focus on the "moments" in your home, like a well-styled mantel or a perfectly organized pantry, and the rest usually follows.