Remembering: Lily Pond Lane

It was reported recently that Martha has sold her iconic home on Lily Pond Lane in East Hampton, New York. I know that many of Martha's readers and viewers consider that home to be a beautiful reflection of her design aesthetic. Second only to Turkey Hill, perhaps, it is the home Martha's fans considered to be most familiar in terms of its style vernacular - particularly throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. It goes without saying, then, that we will miss seeing it in the pages of Martha's books and magazines going forward. The home was reportedly sold to former Huffington Post publisher Kenneth Lerer. 

I thought it would be fun to do a post about the house and the role it played in Martha's work. From a line of paints to a complete furniture collection based on the home's atmosphere and aesthetic, Lily Pond was enormously influential in the creation of many of Martha's products. It was an oft-used site for her magazine photoshoots, both indoors and outdoors, and was also frequently used as a set for her television show: season five of Martha Stewart Living features an extensive number of episodes filmed at this address, particularly cooking and gardening segments. Below is a brief history of the house, how it came into Martha's possession, how it influenced her business and a brief synopsis of some of its iconic style signatures. I hope you enjoy it!

Built in 1873, the house once belonged to one of East Hampton's most memorable preachers, Reverand Talmage. It stands on the site that used to be called "Divinity Hill" for the many ministers from New York and Brooklyn who stayed at its boarding houses. Some still call Lily Pond the DeWitt Talmage House, named after the longtime summer resident who commissioned extensive renovations to the home in 1893.

Martha first fell in love with the Hamptons in the early '60s when she would vacation there with her husband. One of her favourite streets in the area, even then, was Lily Pond Lane, known for its stately width and the rows of majestic beech trees that line the street, as well as towering London plane trees and elms. In one of her "Remembering" columns, Martha describes her initial attraction to the street she would one day call home:

"I was attracted to its quiet, serene appearance, and though most of the houses were tucked behind privet barriers, some of the gardens were fully exposed. The most wonderful one was on the pond itself. It was breathtaking. I stood and gazed at the profuse and colourful flowers, making mental notes of the types that were blooming so perfectly - dahlias, salvias, asters, daisies and roses."

Thirty years later, Martha would have her own home on this lovely street. It was apparently Martha's daughter, Alexis, who encouraged Martha to purchase the old house in 1990, shortly after her divorce from Andy Stewart. It was a place to start a new garden, make new friends and create something that was entirely hers.

Martha completed an extensive renovation of the shingle-style summer home, which had been badly neglected. Replacing the cracking plaster ceilings with beadboard and removing the outdated heating system in favour of a more eco-friendly modulating gas boiler were among the necessary changes. Martha also completely renovated the kitchen, installing new marble counters, mahogany cabinetry and a beautiful floor of handmade cement tiles from Mexico that had been dyed a deep teal. She enclosed a screened-in porch to create an expansive breakfast area with wall-to-wall windows. Outdoors, Martha planted  sumptuous gardens of climbing roses around her front porch and big patches of purple hydrangeas. There are over 1,800 tulip bulbs planted on this relatively small lot (just one acre) as well as hostas, Japanese maples and other shade-loving plants. The interior features large, open rooms with hardwood floors and big, bright windows. The six bedrooms played host to numerous guests during the summer months, when Martha entertained there frequently.

As with Turkey Hill, Martha used Lily Pond Lane as a design laboratory, a place where she could derive style inspiration and then turn that into product. Many of Martha's products at Kmart (the Martha Stewart Everyday line) were influenced by the style of Lily Pond Lane, with its summery-beachy cottage feel. There were paint colour palettes in each of Martha's paint lines that were inspired by the colours found at Lily Pond Lane, particularly soothing greens and blues, soft pinks and shades of yellow. A later collection in the early 2000s introduced deeper colours: mauves, olives, ambers and browns. 

When Martha leased Westport Digital Studios in the mid-1990s, Studio A was modelled after her East Hampton Kitchen. 

In the summer of 2001, Martha partnered with Bernhardt Furniture to create two lines of furniture, both based on two of her homes: Skylands and Lily Pond Lane. The Lily Pond Lane collection borrowed heavily from the design aesthetic of the furniture Martha used to decorate the home. In the opening of the Lily Pond furniture catalog, the collection is described this way: "The Lily Pond Collection embodies the beauty of a sun-filled cottage by the beach with airy interiors and a cool, seaside palette that welcome casual, carefree living."

The Tides Turn faux-bamboo bed was part of the Lily Pond Lane collection, based on some antique bamboo bedroom furniture Martha used at the house. 

STYLE SIGNATURES

Each one of Martha's homes has a distinct and distinguished personality, usually composed of elements drawn from the area where the home is situated but sometimes inspired by a certain way of life. (At Bedford, for instance, Martha employs visual cues reminiscent of Shaker villages). At Lily Pond the decoration scheme was very much about the garden, about the sea and about summer. 

The colour green (and all its various hues and shades) was very influential in the design philosophy that guided the interior decoration of the home. Reminiscent of sea foam and the underside of hosta leaves, the teal/turquoise shades used on the trim of the exterior of the house as well as several areas of the home's interior evoke a calm and cool atmosphere. Martha once painted the ceilings of several rooms in the house a vibrant combination of these saturated hues. 

The handmade Mexican tiles in the kitchen and breakfast room were dyed a deep teal colour, almost matching Martha's vast collection of teal-toned McCoy pottery, which resided at this house for decades. 

It will be interesting to see where Martha will integrate her collection of McCoy into other spaces.

Even exterior spaces, such as the porch, were treated with refreshing hits of teal.

Martha once kept all of her books about gardening and art at Lily Pond Lane. 

Taxidermy also figured very heavily in the decorating scheme, particularly fish and aquatic birds. Martha once said these Victorian specimens, which she has collected for decades, make a loud and peculiar statement. This antique mounted tarpon is a specimen from the late nineteenth century. Taxidermy suits the home's Victorian pedigree.

Many of us, too, will remember how enchanted we were by the prolific climbing roses that grew along the openings of the main front porch. Martha transplanted them to her home in Bedford several years ago. In their hay-day, however, the roses were among the most widely-admired features of the home's exterior.

To replace the roses, Martha planted clematis vines, barely visible here but beginning to make themselves known. She also painted the trim of the house a light shade of taupe, foregoing the familiar teal.

As years passed and Martha's lifestyle changed, she found herself spending less and less time at Lily Pond Lane - only a weekend or two each year. As she herself would say, "When you're through changing, you're through." I'm sure Martha is extremely grateful for the 30 years she played caretaker to this beautiful, historic home. 

If you're interested in reading more about Lily Pond Lane, click here. I also suggest buying the book "How to Decorate" by Martha Stewart Living, which was published in 1996. There are numerous photographs of Lily Pond Lane in its pages with very specific details about its decoration. 

Remembering: SaveMartha.com

I was asked recently how Martha Moments came to be. The genesis for the idea of hosting a spot online that celebrates and archives all things Martha Stewart actually began almost 20 years ago when one Sunday afternoon I wrote to the host of another Martha Stewart fan site called SaveMartha.com. The host was John Small, a native New Yorker who had set up a site devoted to exposing what he believed to be the 'witch hunt' behind the investigation into Martha's infamous stock sale back in 2001, which eventually led to criminal charges of conspiracy, lying to federal investigators and obstruction of justice in 2004. John's prescient instincts were right on point: the unfairness and injustice surrounding Martha's case reeked of malfeasance.

I had been reading Martha's magazine, Martha Stewart Living, since the late 1990s and had grown to become quite fond of her and her brand. When I came upon SaveMartha.com I felt as though I could lend my voice to a growing chorus of fans who felt Martha was being unfairly treated by the press as the investigation into her affairs continued to become amplified. John happily accepted my offer and we quickly became close collaborators, coming up with ideas for web content and strategies to raise awareness about the case.

My contribution began with a weekly serial I called "Deconstructing Byron" -  a reference to one of my favourite Woody Allen movies, Deconstructing Harry. The aim was to examine the writing style used in the latest unflattering biography about Martha at the time, called Martha Inc. by Christopher Byron. The book is steeped in misogynistic language and unsubstantiated hearsay. Chapter by chapter, I sought to expose Byron as an author with an agenda: to get back at Martha for declining to take part in his book. Throughout Martha Inc., his tone is nasty and goading, not at all the tone of a serious biographer interested in telling "The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia" as the subtitle suggested. 

I was pleased to see recently that John has kept that serial intact. Many of the segments I wrote as an earnest 24 year old are still there for perusal. He has grouped them in a section of the site cheekily called The Closet - you know, where the skeletons live. You can click here to access them. 

I would also contribute the occasional lifestyle article to the site, ostensibly to remind readers why we loved Martha to begin with: her interest in celebrating the home and everything to do with its environment and upkeep. These articles were kept in a section of the site called The Pantry. You can click here to read some of those. 

It was John, however, that gave SaveMartha.com its authoritative voice. He appeared numerous times on major American networks, speaking for so many of us who felt that Martha was really getting a raw deal. During her trial, John also organized gatherings of fans to protest outside the courthouse, further drawing attention to the possibility that Martha was being persecuted more than she was being prosecuted. 

John was also a rather intrepid entrepreneur and offset the cost of spending so much time on the site and speaking with the media by producing a large amount of Save Martha merchandise: mugs, ball caps, t-shirts, chefs hats, aprons, stationery, etc. I received many of these items as a kind of payment for the writing I did for the site. I still have one of the mugs safely tucked away, as well as a t-shirt and ball cap. 

One of the ideas John and I came up with together was to organize group shopping sprees at Kmart to help support the Martha Stewart brand by buying large amounts of her Everyday products. I also suggested putting up a photo of the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living in the upper corner of the website with a direct link to the online subscription service in order to bolster magazine sales. 

In the end, our efforts didn't entirely pay off. Martha was convicted of her charges and she was sent to prison in 2004 for five months, followed by a five-month period of house arrest and then several months of parole. She had to relinquish her seat as chairman of her own company and could no longer serve on any board of directors. Several hundred people at her company lost their jobs as a result of the trial and her television show was cancelled. It was a very dark time in Martha's life - and in the lives of her supporters, viewers and readers. 

Ultimately, I was glad to have been a part of SaveMartha.com. I'm quite proud that we were able to at least raise some kind of awareness and start a conversation about the misogynistic leanings of so many people in power, from government officials to biographers to a ravenous press that seemed to relish in the pain and downfall of a woman who had worked hard all her life to achieve great success. And all because of some ill-timed stock sale.

John and I have never met in person, which is too bad. We lost touch over the years but I always think of him fondly.

After Martha was freed and was clearly back on her feet with two new television shows, new magazines and new books, I felt it was time to start something fresh of my own: a place to showcase and archive all of  Martha's great work, from her magazines to her books to her products, all of which have inspired me (and so many others) to develop new skills and learn new things. 

I started the blog on Mach 6th, 2006, and called it Martha Moments. The idea for the name "Martha Moments" actually came from Oprah Winfrey. I had been watching her show one afternoon and her guest, Chef Mario Batali, asked Oprah to daintily brush some oil over some handmade raviolis. Oprah loved doing this and exclaimed: "I'm having a Martha moment!" I knew then that's what the name of the blog was going to be. It was perfect. A Martha Moment could be anything that made you think of Martha Stewart, whether it was something as direct as a product, book or magazine bearing her name, or something as simple as a beautifully-crafted wreath made by a local artisan. If the Martha ethos was evident, it was a Martha Moment.

Since then, the blog has not changed much in terms of design or intent. What pleases me most, however, is that I know Martha is happy with the blog. That feels good.

Remembering: The Anniversary Issues

With the arrival of the 30th anniversary issue of Martha Stewart Living, I was prompted to look back at some of the past anniversary issues the magazine has published. Each one is a treasure in its own right, a perfect little capsule of time and reflection in the magazine's history. With each edition, they editors made sure to give readers a little dose of something special. And in true Martha form, the attention to detail in each issue was tantamount to excellence. Below is a look back at each of the anniversary issues. I hope you enjoy it!

So far, there has been an anniversary edition of Martha Stewart Living to celebrate the magazine's tenth, fifteenth, twentieth, twenty-fifth and thirtieth birthdays. The tenth and the fifteenth were January issues that kicked off the anniversary year in question. The others were all December issues that concluded the anniversary year. I imagine that since the December issue is more popular with readers, the editors decided, instead, to cap off the anniversary with a festive bang. Each one is a delight to read, filled with remembrances and highlights from past issues. Martha, of course, is featured on the cover of each.

The tenth anniversary issue was published in January, 2001. The editors took the opportunity to deconstruct, even analyze, some of the hallmarks of the Martha Stewart Living ethos. There is a beautiful look at some of the popular visual glossaries that had been published. These glossaries were the brainchild of then Creative Director Gael Towey and were a true signature of the magazine's visual underpinnings: different examples of one thing (sunflowers, citrus fruits, spices, silverware) photographed in one artful picture. The editors also compile a list of the best "Good Things" and devote a good 25 pages to the column. In the features section, the magazine's love affair with colour is examined with past editorial photographs. Then, a 'Decade of Decadence' looks back at some of the best confections the magazine created in its first ten years on newsstands. Martha concludes the issue with a "Remembering" column reflecting on how and why she started the magazine. 

January 2006 was the fifteenth anniversary issue. To open, Martha reflects on how she created the first issue of the magazine and shares anecdotes, such as shooting the cover on the balcony off her bedroom at Turkey Hill on a hot summer day in the squinting sun. The editors share the most popular Good Things from the magazine to that point: not necessary the best Good Things, as presented in the tenth anniversary issue, but the most popular. These include the dishwashing-soap bottle, strawberry pincushions and homemade glycerin soaps. In the features section, the editors examine the virtues of crystal glassware, the traditional 15th anniversary gift. (This was a suggestion I had made to Margaret Roach in a letter to the editor the year prior, anticipating the 15th anniversary issue. Whether or not she had already considered that idea, I cannot say. But I like to assume my suggestion at least got the wheels turning). There is also a beautiful feature showcasing a cake for each month of the year.

The 20th anniversary issue (December, 2010) is over-the-top! Maybe even too much so - and I can't believe I'm actually saying that! It is almost too saturated with its sparkle and splash. It is still a delightful issue, however. Martha's column is about a holiday brunch she hosted for the magazine's top brass, including familiar names like Eric Pike, Kevin Sharkey, Hannah Milman and Gael Towey. (This feature was later used in the "Martha's Entertaining" book). Once again, there is a roster of classic Good Things from issues-past. Vanessa Holden, the editor in chief at the time, had three different covers commissioned by the art department to celebrate (each cover is presented in the issue), which I thought was a pretty fabulous touch. This was also the year the magazine launched its first ever digital special issue: all new content produced for the iPad in an issue called "Boundless Beauty" which I thankfully have saved to disc!

For the 25th anniversary issue (December, 2015), the editors commissioned a cover painted by artist Will Cotton, who specializes in painting confectionery landscapes. It is the only cover of Martha's magazine, to date, that is not a photograph. One of the best things about this issue was the inclusion of a detachable cookie advent calendar: a cookie a day! The recipe for each of the cookies was included in the magazine. It was so much fun to reveal a new cookie each day of the month! In the well of the magazine the style editors were asked to come up with their best version of a Christmas tree: my favourites include those by Kevin Sharkey, Marcie McGoldrick and Eric Pike. As with the 15th anniversary issue and its look at crystal glassware, the editors took the traditional 25th anniversary gift, in this case silver, and played with it in creative, festive ways through crafts, table settings and decorations. 

That same year, the editors put together a standalone special 25th anniversary issue. Martha selects her favourite covers over the years, a selection of the best Good Things and compiles her best (and most essential) "101s" at the front of the magazine. At the back of the magazine, some of her favourite editorials from the magazine are reprinted in full, each representing one of the core-content areas of the magazine's focus. This was only available on newsstands and was not part of a subscription. It's a very nice issue to have!

And, of course, the most recent issue of all: the December 2020 issue, which is the current issue on newsstands and the 30th anniversary edition of the magazine. For this issue, the editors reached out to some of Martha's friends, colleagues and admirers to submit their reflections and thoughts about what Martha has meant to them over the years. These quotes were peppered through the magazine at the bottoms of the pages. (I'm on page 70!) There is a collection of the most popular holiday recipes Martha has published over the years and a look back at 30 years of the magazine's editorial landscape as well as a fun look at Martha's holiday party last year. 

Each of these issues is a collectors' item that I will hold on to and cherish. If you don't have them and would like to add them to your collection, look for them on eBay or Etsy where they frequently turn up.

Remembering: Martha's Early Newsletters

 In the spring of 1988, Martha and a small team of assistants put together the first issue of the Entertaining Newsletter – a quarterly publication that offered recipes, gardening and domestic advice, and personal essays by Martha about the projects she was working on. It was an offshoot of her bestselling book Entertaining from 1982 and, in many ways, it was the forebearer of Martha Stewart Living magazine, which would emerge just three years later. For this reason, it is one of the most collectible and treasured Martha Stewart publications.

The Entertaining Newsletter was composed almost entirely by Martha, written on an IBM computer in her small office at number 10 Saugatuck Avenue in Westport, Connecticut. It was a way for Martha to communicate with her growing audience and a medium she could use to promote her latest books and seminars. I love imagining a late-40s Martha sitting at her desk with the golden afternoon sun streaming through the window, casting a glow in her long blond hair, books and notebooks stacked on every surface, as she typed up essays on homekeeping and some of her latest recipes. 

 From Martha’s Home to Yours

Each issue of the newsletter was like a personal love letter from Martha to her readers. They contained her words, her recipes, her reviews of the latest cookbooks and the hottest restaurants, as well as lists of her personal tastes and preferences for all manner of things pertaining to the home, from her favourite cleaning products to the best garden suppliers in the United States. There were occasional guest columnists, but the amplified voice of the newsletter was very definitely hers. 

Remembering: Subscription Incentive Booklets

In the early days of Martha Stewart Living magazine, subscribers would often be enticed to renew or gift a magazine subscription with special promotional incentives. These could be tote bags or calendars, but more often than not they were small how-to booklets based on Martha's "Good Things" from the magazine. A renewal thank-you card would be sent to your address (such a nice touch) along with the booklet, which always centered on a theme, whether it was gardening, cooking, crafting or collecting. 

The booklets were always printed in colour on very nice card-stock and measured approximately 5.5 by 7 inches. They were usually about 20 pages in length, advertisement-free. As you can see in the photograph above, each "Good Things" booklet was based on a particular theme: homemade gifts, collecting, cooking, giving, holiday projects, etc. With images and ideas selected from past issues of the magazine, each booklet contained instructions, recipes and advice.

Martha Stewart Living offered these booklets to subscribers for about ten years, between 1994 and 2004. They are fairly rare today and each booklet can fetch between $3 and $6 on the secondhand market, depending on condition and rarity. 

Remembering: Martha Stewart Living Music

The bone-chilling cackle of a witch, ghoulish growls and the lonely howl of a wolf... The single-track CD called "Spooky Scary Sounds" released by Martha Stewart Living on Rhino Records was the first in a series of CD compilations released by Martha's company in 2000. Running 45 minutes, the CD was meant to be played at Halloween parties or at the front door on Halloween night when trick-or-treaters arrived. The company released ten albums based on different themes over a four year period to diversify its portfolio and help the homemaker choose music that would be suited to different scenarios in her life.

With footing in every form of media at the time (publishing, television broadcasting, radio, web, e-commerce) the last frontier for Omnimedia was recorded music. The deal with Rhino Records saw the release of five other CD compilations after "Spooky Scary Sounds", each based around a particular theme with tracks personally selected by Martha to enhance atmosphere, whether it was to soothe a baby to sleep, get kids excited for playtime, to relax with a cup of tea or to play as background music while entertaining summer guests.

Artists sampled on the CDs include Carly Simon and James Taylor, Harry Belafonte, Jane Siberry, Lucinda Williams, Eva Cassidy, Linda Ronstadt, k.d. lang, Paul Simon, Dionne Warwick, Smokey Robinson and many others. A holiday Christmas CD rounds out the collection, providing songs to "get you in the spirit" for holiday baking, decorating and entertaining. Many of the albums contained bonus material inside, accompanying the liner notes: recipe cards, craft instructions, ideas for entertaining, etc.

A new deal in 2005 with Sony records saw the release of four more CD compilations. All were based around holiday music to be played at Christmastime. Classified by style of music (jazz, classical and traditional) the CDs contained holiday music, selected by Martha, to be played at parties or just around the house during the holidays to set a festive mood. The three CDs, which were sold individually, were also packaged as part of one collection (The Holiday Collection) and listeners could get all three in one.

Although no longer being produced, many of the CDs are still available on Amazon or on eBay in either new or used condition. With the advent of Spotify and digital streaming, however, some may find the notion of a CD compilation a bit old fashioned. However, if you're a real collector of Martha's products, these CDs are fun items to have.

EARLY ALBUMS

Martha's interest in creating music compilations for entertaining began in the late 1980s when she partnered with CBS Masterworks (a classical music label at the time) to create CDs featuring classical music suited to various themes: Christmas, a Sunday brunch, a dinner party, etc. The series was called "Dinner Classics," produced between 1989 and 1994. There were 20 albums in total, including a weddings series. Martha's frequent appearances on CBS programs as a lifestyle expert gave her access to the CBS Masterworks label and she partnered with various producers to select tracks for these albums, each designed to create an appropriate atmosphere for the theme at hand.

In the album sleeves there were recipes and photographs from some of Martha's books, including her first tome, "Entertaining." A hostess could select any one of 20 different compilations for her various parties, and many had an international flavour: Japanese, Spanish, Italian. 

Composers featured on the album included Martha's favourites: Handel, Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Herbert, etc. The producers selected performances by various orchestras from around the world, some featuring the likes of John Williams, Pablo Casals, Pinchas Zukerman, Yo Yo Ma and Isaac Stern. Many of these albums can be found used at thrift stores and online markets, such as eBay, for very good prices.

Remembering: My Friend Kenn

"Is this THE Andrew Ritchie?" That was the first line of the first email Kenn Sheats ever sent to me. It was 2004, right in the midst of Martha's criminal trial. I had been writing for SaveMartha.com and this gentleman named Kenn in Michigan would often leave comments of praise on my posts; he was a kindred spirit in the fight to clear Martha's name. He had been a fan of Martha's from the very beginning: he had every issue of her magazine, every mail-order catalog, every flyer, every poster, every newsletter and every piece of advertising. I was in awe! He was THE Kenn Sheats!

 Kenn met Martha on a few occasions, but perhaps his most memorable encounter was at the wedding of Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell (the Beekman Boys) in Sharon Springs, New York, in 2013. Martha said the biscuits Kenn made for the event were among the best she had ever tasted!

Kenn and I became fast friends and over the ensuing years, Kenn was instrumental in helping me build this blog. He later became a co-moderator of the Martha Moments Facebook group. I always used to tell him that I felt this blog was 'our' blog. Kenn loved to cook. He loved to garden. He loved to 'keep house' and he loved the holidays - all holidays. Martha's books, magazines and television shows played right into all his passions. He was her biggest champion and certainly the most passionate collector of her wares I had ever met.
 
Martha Moments may have been my inception and concept, but it was Kenn's encouragement and assistance that often kept me going, even during times when I felt like throwing in the towel. I trusted him implicitly. He had all the passwords to the site and I would often run my design ideas past Kenn before going ahead with them. If it had his stamp of approval, I knew I was on the right track. Kenn was my biggest supporter and helped me so much in my understanding of Martha's ventures. He was a teacher to me, as well as a friend.

We had planned to meet in 2006 when Martha hosted the "Good Things Event" in New York City but his mother sadly passed away just days before the convention. Even though we never met in person, there were always the annual Christmas cards, the occasional phone calls, the frequent emails and the very real understanding that we were there for each other and that we loved each other as friends.

Our shared fantasy was to one day run a Martha Stewart museum together, preferably at Turkey Hill, where we would guide visitors through the gardens and the house. We would convert the barn into a gallery where Kenn would have all of his memorabilia on view and perhaps a little gift shop where we would sell - of all things - Martha Stewart logo earrings! (Kenn's hearty laugh over the telephone when we came up with the silly earring idea still resonates with me).

I am currently mourning his loss.

Kenn passed away late in the evening of March 22, 2019, after a four-year battle with cancer. There are really no words to express the loss one feels when you lose a friend; the pain must simply be felt and endured. Endurance was something Kenn had in spades. Rarely does one meet someone as courageous and optimistic as Kenn. Throughout his battle with cancer, which had many setbacks but also many encouraging signs of remission, Kenn was the epitome of grace and strength. He never once complained. He never once said, "I can't." He was the definition of a fighter and I want to remember him that way.

I will miss Kenn's insights and his friendship so very much. I dedicate this entire blog to him. Next to Martha, herself, Kenn was and is the reason I keep this blog going. Please take a moment to look through these photos of Kenn and remember my dear friend with me. I love you, Kenn. The angels are lucky to have you. Rest In Perfection.

A young Kenn looking dashing in his jacket and bow tie.

Kenn posing with his sister.

Kenn adored the holidays!

He loved all things 'home.' Setting the table was a simple pleasure he took pride in. Although, he hated the word "tablescape"! 

When he was diagnosed with cancer, Kenn's colleagues had these bracelets made to show their support for his fight. Kenn was the epitome of strength and courage.

Even during the most difficult times, Kenn always found a way to smile - and make others smile too.

Kenn's greatest pleasure was spending time with his partner of 22 years, David LaFramboise. (All of Martha's books and magazines are stored in his office).

 I will always remember you, Kenn. 

Remembering: Martha Stewart Paint

There are literally thousands of paint colours on the market today and making a selection can be daunting, if not entirely confusing. Martha Stewart understood that when she set out to design her own line of paint colours in the 1990s. The history of Martha's paint lines dates back to the late 1980s, however, when she was hired as a lifestyle consultant for Kmart. From there, it blossomed into one of her most successful merchandising ventures. Below is a history of Martha's paint brands put together with the help of my friend Kenn LaFramboise. Enjoy!

Above is just a small selection of the hundreds of paint colours developed by Martha Stewart Living over the years.

Martha's first forays into the world of paint was through Kmart when she was hired in 1987 to be the brand's lifestyle consultant. Charged with revitalizing the store's sagging home sales, Martha was brought on board to act as a spokesperson for the company's line of housewares, which included a line of paints manufactured by Dutch Boy. While Martha initially had very little say in the selection of the palettes, she was asked by Kmart to use the paints in their commercials. It wasn't long before Martha asked to have a say in the colour selection process, but her suggestions were often perceived as too daring when compared to the tried-and-true 'builder special' colours that sold so well.

Not one to take no for an answer, Martha endeavored to create her own line of paint colours with the help of Eve Ashcraft, a well-known colour specialist. Using the book "The Garden Month by Month" by Mabel Cabet Sedgewick as inspiration, Martha and Eve developed a line of hues inspired by nature, from soft greens to pale pinks, from faded blues to rich reds. Martha took her samples to Fine Paints of Europe, which later manufactured the paint with Schreuder Paints. The original palette "Colors of the Garden" had just 29 colours and was not widely distributed. It wasn't until Martha launched her mail-order catalog, Martha by Mail, that the paints found an audience. In 1995, Martha added the "Araucana Colors" - inspired by the egg-shell hues of her Araucana hens - and later "The Colors of Skylands" (49 colours) inspired by her home in Maine.

The Araucana paint palette was designed with calming neutrals in mind, inspired by the egg-shell hues of Martha's Araucana hens.

In 1997, when Martha Stewart Living renegotiated the terms of its partnership agreement with Kmart, Martha and her team were given full creative control of her namesake brand and Martha created her first mass-market paint line called Martha Stewart Everyday Colors. The collection included hundreds of colour options and was later expanded to include enamel paints and accessories, including rollers, brushes, paint trays and other painting tools. The Martha Stewart Everyday Colors line went on to become the most successful paint line in Kmart's history.

In 2005, after the launch of her new Signature furniture line with Bernhardt, Martha also released a new palette of colours called Martha Stewart Signature Colors with Sherwin Williams. The collection featured 416 sophisticated colours, designed to coordinate with the new Signature furniture, carpet and lighting collections Martha had developed. The paints were designed to mix with eight different Sherwin Williams paint finishes and the colour cards had many helpful and unique features to make the palette selection simple. For instance, the paint cards had large round holes cut from the centers, allowing the consumer to overlap the paint cards to coordinate a palette. Each card also featured suggested paint hues (ceiling, trim) that would coordinate with your principal colour choice.

When Martha's partnerships with Kmart and Sherwin Williams ended in 2007, Martha took her paint palettes to Lowe's where she rebranded many of her past paint colours under a new moniker and logo: Martha Stewart Colors. The 350 paint colours were manufactured by Valspar and were available for a period of two years.

After the discontinuation of her paint lines in all retail markets, Martha was poised to bring back a paint line to a mass-market retailer. This time it was The Home Depot. The Martha Stewart Living paint line was launched in March, 2010, with 250 original paint colours, including interior and exterior grades. The paints were formulated to be low VOC (volatile organic compounds) to minimize paint fumes. In 2011, the line was expanded to include specialty finishes, including metallic and textured finishes. Accessories, including brushes, rollers and special tools to create trompe-l'oeil effects, such as faux boix, were also developed. The paint brand was discontinued just two years later but the colour palettes remained available to be mixed with Gidden Paint bases.

Tiny symbols on these textured paint chips denote which hues pair well with others: matching the symbols will create a roster of coordinating palette options.

Special brushes, sponges and tools were designed to create unique textures and patterns, such as faux-bois, linen, gingham and plaid. 

Below is an abbreviated history of Martha Stewart's paint brands in point form. Many thanks to my friend Kenn LaFramboise for his efforts in helping me with this blog.

AT HOME WITH MARTHA STEWART

* When Kmart decided to hire Martha as their ‘lifestyle consultant’ a merchandise line was built around her name. Included was a paint line with Martha's name on it that was manufactured by Dutch Boy paints

* At this stage, Martha had no input into the color palettes.

* Started 1987

FINE PAINTS OF EUROPE WITH SCHREUDER PAINTS

* First original palette development with Eve Ashcraft and Martha in 1992

* Limited retail distribution. Not considered a ‘mass market’ product

* The first palette, Colors of the Garden (29 colors) was inspired by the book “The Garden Month by Month” by Mabel Cabet Sedgewick. The color chart of flower colors inspired Martha to retain Eve to develop her own hues.

* The first glimpse of the palette can be found in the April/May 1992 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine in an article titled “Painting the House.”

* Other color palettes were added to the collection, including the Colors of Skylands 1999 (49 colors) and the Araucana Colors 1995 (22 colors). The entire collection contained 100 different colors

* All of the palette fan decks were sold through Martha by Mail in the 1990s .

* The paint was never distributed through mass-market retail. It was only available at high end specialty paint stores.

MARTHA STEWART EVERYDAY WITH KMART

* The first mass market paint line debuted in May, 1997 through Kmart

* Colors were developed with Eve Ashcraft

* Expanded in 1998 to include Garden enamels (spray and brush) as well as painting tools (brushes, rollers, etc.)

* The Martha Stewart Everyday Colors line was the most successful paint line in Kmart's history

* Color cards included multiple complementary colors to make picking coordinating colors easier

*The Everyday paint line ended when Martha's partnership with Kmart ceased in 2007.

MARTHA STEWART SIGNATURE WITH SHERWIN WILLIAMS

* Debut was May, 2005

* Program ended: January, 2007

* Collection of 416 sophisticated paint colors which launched in conjunction with the debut of her Signature furniture line with Bernhardt.

* Unique paint chips (color cards) with punch out center to allow for easier color coordination with other items in the room

* Palette Cards were available to help the consumer coordinate colors. Each card showed 5 different colors specifically designed to coordinate with one and other; perfect for picking wall, ceiling, trim colors.

* Formulated to mix with 8 different Sherwin Williams paint bases

MARTHA STEWART COLORS WITH LOWE'S

* Debuted in April, 2007

* Ended November, 2009

* Collection of 350 paint colors mixed in Valspar paint bases

* More of a partnership rebranding than a new launch, the line utilized much of the same color palettes as the Signature Paints with Sherwin Williams

MARTHA STEWART LIVING PAINTS WITH THE HOME DEPOT

* Debuted in March, 2010

* 280 original paint colors

* Utilized a ‘symbol’ coordination system: matching symbols on the color cards meant that the hues coordinated with each other.

* In February, 2011 the line expanded to include faux finishes and specialty finish paints

* Paint chips included a ‘bend over stripe’ to see what the suggested ceiling color looked like with the paint color

* Available in indoor and outdoor formulas with low VOC (volatile organic compound) meaning there was minimal toxicity and fumes

* In January, 2012 the Martha Stewart Living paint line ‘brand’ was discontinued, however the palette was still available at The Home Depot. It was reformulated to mix with Glidden paint bases.

* The paint colors can still be mixed today if a customer has the formula code.

If you're looking for any of the MS paint codes and names, My Perfect Color has the complete list and can colour match any of them. Click here to view the complete list of MS Colors.