Martha Stewart's New Lifestyle Lines Are a Decor Lover's Dream
As we finally welcome the spring season, Martha Stewart is celebrating with the reveal of her brand’s four new lifestyles. The lifestyles-inspired by her four gorgeous residences-will provide a framework for categorizing the vast array of products that the Martha Stewart brand has to offer. By distinguishing the aesthetic differences of each of her homes, the lifestyles are categorized to reflect the way Martha lives, entertains, and decorates in each respective space. Kevin Sharkey, EVP and executive director of design at Martha Stewart, explains that this shift is not only a benefit to customers, but to the brand, internally. “This was a great exercise for us to make sure that the brand is actually working as a whole-that it doesn’t feel scattered or confused."
Plus, “It’s an easy way to address different taste levels and formality of living that our diversity of customers exhibit,” Martha tells ED.
The homes-Bedford: a quaint country farmhouse in Bedford, New York; Perry St.: an urban-glam apartment in Greenwich Village; Skylands: a woodland retreat on Mount Desert Island in Maine; and Lily Pond: a shingle-style beach cottage in the Hamptons-each offer a very different way of living, with distinct characteristics, both aesthetically and beyond.
For the Bedford lifestyle, which is based on Martha's primary residence, expect to see a thoughtful curation of comfortable decor that embraces a neutral color palette, where the outdoors blends with the indoors, and function is as valuable as form.
[Martha's Tip: Bring as much of the outside (plants, flowers, etc.) inside. Make your indoor spaces match the outdoors.]
Perry St.-Martha's 'secondary residence'-tells an urban story, centered around a whimsical use of color and texture that feels glamorous yet welcoming. Kevin Sharkey explains that unlike the other three lifestyles, Perry St. is much more conscious of scale, with an indulgent use of fabrics and finishes and a focus on entertaining-just as Martha does in her own New York City property. "Perry St. is very celebratory, and we wanted to highlight that aspect of the brand with this lifestyle," Sharkey tells ED.
[Martha's Tip: Keep it light and airy. Open the windows and let the breeze blow through. Make it fresh. And at night, put our Martha Stewart flameless candles everywhere. They set the mood.]
Moving on to Skylands, Martha's most architecturally important home, you will find a beautiful blend of color, texture, and pattern, with standout pieces including replicas of her garden ornaments, decadent velvet bedding, and large-scale renderings of her favorite prints (think silk damask curtains and throws).
[Martha's Tip: Think nature-inspired elegance. Bring in large-scale prints and focus on texture over color.]
For Lily Pond, the serenity of coastal living is embraced with cheerful patterns, saturated colors, and an emphasis on gardening and outdoor entertaining. "It's supposed to be like a sweep-out beach cottage," Martha says (though admitting to having an enforced 'no-shoes-inside' policy in her own home).
[Martha's Tip: Infuse the home with deep, saturated colors that take advantage of the natural light. And if you can, grow your own plants.]
While each lifestyle does have its distinct differences, they are all unified under the signature Martha Stewart charm. "Martha serves certain things, wears certain things, celebrates in a certain way, gardens in a certain way, and so on," Sharkey says. "We tried to tackle all of that with each lifestyle that we offer."
This new breakdown of the site not only marks an important new brand strategy for the Martha Stewart company, it also speaks to the personalized experience Martha has created for her followers since her brand's inception. "I want people to understand the key differences in living based on the lifestyles we've created," Martha says. "Colors are different. The atmosphere, light, and greenery is different. You can’t just transplant one house here or there, and understanding that will inform the way you craft your home."
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