How To Decorate Your Home Like Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart is obviously the maven of all things home and garden. Her style set trends before social media even existed, and continues to do so today. Yet, those who have been inspired by her since the beginning (and yes, some of us are that old!) can look at a space and say, "Oh, that's very Martha." But what makes a space "very Martha"?

Martha's decorating style strikes a perfect balance of traditional and modern, while keeping a warm, cozy feel. Her spaces are practical while also being beautiful. And, the details matter, which is true in any type of decorating. Martha Stewart's style strives to strike the perfect tone, never settling for "good enough." Let's take a look at some advice from Martha herself about how to make the magic happen.

Style is in the details, and this includes the finishing touches to a room. In the case of wall art, Martha advises that this should be the last thing you add to a room. On The Martha Stewart Blog, she notes, "Art and photos should always be hung after other decorations have been decided. The height and width of pieces will always affect the hanging of any print or painting." This is a great rule of thumb for avoiding art-hanging mishaps.

To do this, focus on all of your other decor first: furniture, accessories, window treatments, lighting, and paint or wallpaper. Once you have all of this figured out and added to your room, you can see what kind of wall space you have to work with. You'll also have a definitive color palette, rather than guessing about what colors will complement your space. While this means less guesswork, there are still a few tips and secrets for hanging wall art that will come in handy, such as hanging it at the correct height and avoiding mistakes when hanging family photos.

It's easy for home decor to end up as a mish-mash of styles. We might start out with a plan, but then find a great piece at an estate sale or resale shop. Then another great item is gifted to us. While this eclectic look can be wonderful, those who want a more cohesive look to their decor would do well to take Martha's advice and decorate around a theme. When talking about decorating her home in Maine, she noted on Instagram, "I call it 'bringing the outdoors in,' which is a recurring theme in this 1925 gracious home."

To do this, spend some time thinking about how you want your space to feel. Do you want a sleek, mid-century modern look? Maybe bohemian style is your thing? This is a good time to look at inspirational interiors either on social media or in your own life. Now comes the hard part: Only purchase items that actually fit the theme you've chosen for your decor. It's not easy! If you find a piece you love, but it doesn't fit into your theme, you'll need to make a choice: Stick to your plans or let the piece go. While it can be hard to part with finds that you love, making these kinds of choices about what you collect can pay off in the end, when you can present a cohesive and professional-looking design concept.

"A new carpet can alter a room's look completely — I am so happy with how it turned out," Martha wrote on her blog when she shared her experience of installing a new rug in her Bedford, New York, home. Think of a room with a large, beige woven jute rug. Then think of one with a rich wool Persian carpet in bright jewel tones. Each of these materials brings a vastly different feel to a room.

While choosing the right area rug isn't a quick, easy project, it can have a huge impact on the overall feel of the space. This is where it pays to think deeply about your style and how you want the room to feel and function. Martha recommends selecting a rug that is large enough for your living space. A large area rug makes the most practical choice, as well as the biggest visual impact. This also helps you make your room feel soft, quiet, and comforting. Martha also recommends one of her favorite natural fibers, sisal. "I love natural sisal rugs and use them throughout my Winter House," she says in her blog post.

So, you've chosen the perfect flooring. The wall colors and materials are just right. Your window treatments make the most of natural light while still providing privacy and fitting your style. The art is hung, and your accessories are on point. You're done decorating, right? Not according to Martha! "I'm always on the lookout for unusual and exquisite pieces to decorate my homes," Martha shared on her blog, and this is critical to her iconic decor style.

Martha has been known to embrace shifting aesthetics and even redecorate a whole room from time to time. In the fall of 2024, Martha completely redid the living rooms of her Maine home, still leaning towards her penchant for rustic decor but incorporating warmer upholstery and rearranging treasured pieces of furniture. As she noted in a 2024 Instagram post, "Big day rearranging the furniture in the three main living rooms at Skylands. We switched the living room from grey blue upholstery to a creamy pale buttery yellow...The library is much more comfortable now, and the faux Bois table is now the card table." If you are thoughtful when choosing pieces of furniture, you can find timeless pieces that will work in different configurations throughout your home over time. Using her period home as inspiration, Martha has successfully decorated and redecorated while maintaining an elevated rustic feel.

"Houseplants bring life to any room, especially during the cold, dreary days of winter. I love container plants, and over the years I have amassed quite a collection of tropical specimens," Martha says on The Martha Stewart Blog. She isn't shy about her admiration of houseplants, sharing details about the many plants in her home. Not only is this greenery beautiful, bringing color, texture, and life into any space, but there are also health benefits to having houseplants. Martha's definitely onto something!

Evaluate your space before making a trip to your favorite plant shop. Assess the level of light and humidity in the room. Even the most stunning houseplant will become an eyesore if it's struggling to get enough light or drying out constantly. If your room is north-facing or has few unobstructed windows, you'll want to choose low-light plants. If your home is dry or the room has forced-air heating, it might be best to steer away from tropical plants that need a lot of moisture. Of course, both of these issues can be remedied with things like grow lights and humidifiers, but to keep things simple: right plant, right place.

You'll also want to keep in mind any children or pets that might mess with the plants. Some are toxic and can cause severe health issues if ingested. It's best to choose houseplants that are safe for your pets (and everyone else!)

A dining room doesn't have to stay a dining room, and a hallway doesn't have to just be a hallway. Think outside the box and use the rooms in your home in ways that work for you and your family. Martha shared on her blog about how she did this with her formal dining room. "This room had long been used as a small dining room for parties. Last year, with many of those gatherings canceled because of the pandemic, I decided to rethink its function and create a more usable space." She instead transformed it into a cozy sitting for lounging or taking online meetings.

We love this idea because it helps us get the most out of our homes and make them places where we can truly thrive. Maybe you don't use your formal dining room very often and prefer to eat in the kitchen. Why not turn that space into the crafting room of your dreams? Or maybe you have a decent-sized foyer, but everyone who comes to your house comes in through the garage. A reading nook and a few bookshelves might fit in that space just perfectly. 

It pays to do some planning before ripping a room apart and turning it into something else, but there's no point in paying for, cleaning, and maintaining a room that never gets used. Assess how you use the space, where else those activities might be done instead, and then have fun planning your new, functional space!

Martha Stewart is known for sharing what she calls "good things": simple and smart additions to any household. She even released an entire book called "Good Things" in 1997 in which she shared some of her favorites. In the section on home decor-related good things, she notes, "...after the basic elements are all in place, there's more to consider. A room's tone can be greatly underscored by the details, whether pillows, pictures, or pottery. And the smallest change, like adding pretty edging to a shelf, sometimes makes the most eye-catching addition." 

Martha expresses her enthusiasm for craft projects that add these types of small, one-of-a-kind touches. Maybe you have plain throw pillows on your sofa. Would a hand-embroidered design or the addition of some fringe or frills make them feel more "you"?  Or maybe you have built-in shelving and it's all painted the same color. Could you paint the interior of the bookcase a different, more interesting color, or maybe even add wallpaper for interest? Those store-bought picture frames are nice, but what if you dry-brushed the details with another color from the room? The possibilities are endless and limited only by your imagination. This is the part of decorating that makes it fun and makes your home a haven. Enjoy it, with Martha as your inspiration.