Martha Stewart Fine Furniture

Earlier this week, Martha Stewart unveiled some pieces from her new furniture collection called Martha Stewart Fine Furniture at the High Point Furniture Market . The new line will be available this fall throughout North America, South America and several international markets.

With the upholstery made by Miles Talbott and case goods imported from Colombia by Lefa, the new collection includes 25 upholstery and 55 bedroom, dining and occasional pieces. In a news release and in her remarks Saturday, Martha reiterated her desire to offer "a sensible, considered approach to scale, proportion and function that ensure the furniture will merge seamlessly into day-to-day living."

Apartment Therapy attended the presentation (photos below) and a new website is in the works to showcase the collection online. Click here to see it. Martha spoke about the furniture line. You can see it here.

Remembering: The Martha Stewart Show

On Tuesday, Martha Stewart and her team of producers taped one of their last live episodes of The Martha Stewart Show at the Chelsea Studios in Manhattan. Martha Moments reader (and First Lady favourite!) David Bondarchuck sent me this photo right after he attended the taping. David, who was a guest on the show just before Christmas, said he cried as he listened to Martha speak about her seven years doing live television and reminisce about some of the highlights. Once the cameras had stopped rolling, everyone on staff came out to the main stage to take a final bow - a poignant moment that garnered lots of applause. It wasn't all about farewells, however. Martha said she is very excited about going back to PBS and revealed to the audience that in addition to Martha's Cooking School, she and her team of producers are working on a gardening show for PBS as well! So, there is something else to look forward to!

Many of us fans - probably most of us - have always been steadfast in our love for what has come to be known among our kind as "the old format." In short, we preferred the informative, well-timed and well-edited taped program from the 1990s and early 2000s, Martha Stewart Living, to the live pace of The Martha Stewart Show. Still, with the show coming to an end, I can't help but feel nostalgic about its finale. Even though we did not have the show in Canada for the last two years, it was comforting knowing I could attend a live taping whenever I was in New York. I liked hearing about Martha's weekends, her trips, her little adventures around the farm.

There was something fresh and vibrant and fun about the show - a new side to Martha that I feel, in hindsight, really needed to be expressed to the public. They were an adventurous seven years for Martha and her team, no doubt, not to mention representative of a lot of very hard work. Below are some remembrances...

Chef Mario Batali inspired the name of this blog when he was a guest on Oprah Winfrey's show. Martha looks lovely in orange - a sweater from Anthropologie! Martha making 'special brownies' with Snoop Dogg: a classic clip that will surely go down in history. Two of my favourites from the show: Joey Kola, who is one of the nicest men in the world, and Aaron Caramanis, who has been working on Martha's television shows since the 1990s. He is an exceptional builder and conceptualizer, responsible for many of the Halloween and Holiday sets. I met them both when I was a guest on Martha's show and they each put me at ease with words of encouragement before the show went live.

Obviously, one of the biggest highlights of my life so far was being asked to be a guest on Martha's show in January, 2010. That's me, above, posing with Martha and some of the other bloggers, including Alexis Stewart and Jennifer Koppleman-Hutt. You can also see the beautiful sign that was made for me by crafter Kristin St. Clair out of yarn. It was attached to the basket of Martha Stewart Clean products that I received as a gift for coming on the show.

That day was such a dream come true for me. Not only did I meet Martha Stewart in person, have a private conversation with her and present her with a special gift and personal letter, but I also got to do a craft segment with her on live television! My day at the studio was thrilling and I cannot express enough how kind, sincere and really wonderful the people who work on this show are. They are so devoted to what they do. The producer of my segment, Lenore Welby, is someone I will always hold in very high regard. She essentially made the dream come true and I will always be grateful to her, just as I am to Martha. What an honor it was to be a part of the award-winning season five of The Martha Stewart Show! I will honestly never forget it.

This is one of my most treasured keepsakes from the Martha Stewart Show. It is a very large, very sturdy tote bag that was given to me by my friend Kenn after he attended a taping. For awhile, there was a small store in the audience waiting area where people could buy t-shirts, bags and caps - even umbrellas! Kenn generously thought of me and got me this tote bag. It is emblazoned with the MARTHA logo that stretches around the sides of the bag. Inside, it is striped with a zipper pouch tagged with the official Martha Stewart Show logo. It's very well made and I keep it in fine condition!

Before I was a guest on the show I had attended a taping of Martha in 2006. Even as an audience member, the experience was wonderul. Obviously, many of you have attended tapings of the show and everyone I have ever spoken to has said what a thrill it was to see Martha in person. That is perhaps one element that will be deeply missed by fans: the opportunity to see Martha live. As much as we all love the well-edited, beautifully-presented, informative style of the Martha Stewart Living program - a format that will be returned to with the new PBS shows this fall - we must admit some disappointment in not being able to be a part of a live audience, privy to the excitement of the production and behind-the-scenes intrigue.  In the end, I will look back fondly on The Martha Stewart Show. It was a necessary phase of evolution in Martha's television career and it yielded some really wonderful, candid moments.

LINKS ABOUT THE MARTHA STEWART SHOW:

Behind the scenes at the Martha Stewart Show

Best Bloopers from the Martha Stewart Show

A tour of the Martha Stewart Show set

Martha's American Food Out Today!

Ever wonder how corn dogs were invented? How about the history behind apple pie? Tidbits of culinary history accompany many of the 200 recipes in Martha's newest cookbook, which celebrates the diversity and deliciousness of American food. The book is out today! Also, Martha will be on tour to promote the book, signing copies at the following locations:

Tuesday, April 24, 6:00pm to 7:30pm: Williams-Sonoma in Columbus Circle, NYC
Saturday, April 28, 12:00pm to 2:00pm: CostCo in Leesburg, VA
Wednesday, May 2, 5:00pm to 7:00pm: Barnes & Noble in Princeton, NJ
Friday, May 4, 6:00pm to 8:00pm: Sur La Table in Manhasset, NY

UPDATE: OpenSky is now selling autographed copies of the book for $30!

Martha on PBS This Fall!

Good news, Martha fans! Martha will be back on television this fall, this time on a weekly, taped program on PBS called Martha Stewart's Cooking School, based on the cooking lessons from her 2008 bestselling cookbook.  Martha's company is producing the show with the District station WETA, which calls the show a “teaching series.” Martha wrote this to her Facebook fans about the new show:

"I'm excited to announce my new TV show, "Martha Stewart's Cooking School," to air this fall on PBS. On the show, I'll demonstrate how to prepare classic dishes using proper techniques and also inspire viewers to add their own unique twists to recipes. I'm looking forward to getting into the kitchen and connecting with home cooks everywhere!"

In each 30-minute episode of her “Cooking School,” Martha will demonstrate classic cooking techniques and basics — the building blocks of recipes everyone should know, from roasting to poaching, from braising to blanching. Martha and WETA are old friends, having previously produced the station’s “Everyday Food,” minus Martha as host. On this new show, however, you’ll have Martha right by your side! It's not clear whether Martha will be cooking in her Bedford kitchen or at a studio set kitchen, but the show will definitely not be live. (Good news for me and other Canadian fans: we'll see it north of the border, too!)

A Reader's Spring Sweets

As I've stated here before, one of the best things about blogging is meeting so many wonderful people from so many different places. While I am based in Canada, this blog receives traffic from all over the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Central and South America, Iceland, Japan and India - to name a few - and I've been fortunate to have had some very nice correspondence with many, many people from around the globe. It's really the best perk of having blog!

One of the most supportive readers is Rowaida Flayhan, a longtime Martha Stewart enthusiast who lives in London, Endland. Recently, she shared photographs of some of her homemade confections with me and I was so astounded by the level of professionalism and beauty that I had to share them. 

Rowaida takes advanced private baking lessons from renowned British cake designer Zoe Clark. Spring was the inspiration behind these particular creations, below. "I wanted to incorporate the soft, dreamy pastel colours of spring, working with flowers and butterflies," she says. "I baked assorted sweets, such as cupcakes, mini cakes, petit fours, cookies and a two-tier cake." I'm sure you'll agree that the results are stunning. The photos were taken by her son, Sam. Thank you for sharing this Martha Moment, Rowaida! See more at Flickr.

Looking Back to Move Forward: Vol. 4 (April)

In her letter to readers in the March, 2012, issue of the magazine, Martha Stewart Living editor-in-chief Pilar Guzman makes an intriguing comment about looking back to former issues of the magazine in order to move forward. She writes: "...we will feature images on this page that inspire us from the magazine's archives. Sometimes it's important to look back in order to move forward." As a longtime subscriber, I felt like playing along! I'll be raiding the archives each month to showcase my favourite issue.

MY FAVOURITE APRIL ISSUE: 2001

I'm truly enjoying the process of looking  back at some of my favourite issues each month. Choosing my favourite April issue was simple, since it is one of my favourite issues of all time. The 2001 April issue has all of the classic Marth Stewart elements that make the magazine so great, including investigative articles about some of the simplest and most-overlooked elements of the home.

This scrutiny of seemingly ordinary or traditional objects is one of the reasons I first fell in love with the magazine. It is a signature of the Martha Stewart editorial team that sets it apart from other lifestyle publications. I had no idea you could learn so much about ruffles, for example, or employ them in so many wonderful ways. Kevin Sharkey did a brilliant job on this article about ruffles, using Martha's Lily Pond Lane home as the setting for all sorts of ruffle details: on curtains, throws, table cloths, placemats, bedskirts, bedspreads and even cakes! In another section of the magazine there are instructions on how to clean ruffle details on textiles. The idea of taking a theme and reimagining its possible uses was invented by Martha! Demystifying the seemingly complicated with carefully planned how-tos while providing historical context is something I will always admire about Martha.

One of my favourite Martha Stewart Living articles of all time is also in this issue: Easter at the Blue Barn, by Frances Boswell on page 180. I remember reading this article in my two-room college apartment during a rainstorm, missing my family back home, knowing they would be having Easter without me this year. I lived vicariously through the lush photographs by Christopher Baker and wondered about this beautiful home that was built on the foundation of an old barn in upstate New York, painted blue, with views of rolling hills and a nearby waterfall. The food on the pages, the country setting, the story about the couple who occupies the space - well, it gave me a sense of comfort at a time when I really needed it.

The unifying colour throughout the issue is definitely yellow, with features on yellow magnolias and mustard, a bright yellow tablecloth on the cover with a big bouquet of yellow tulips. Little hits of the sunshine colour sprinkled thoughout the magazine give it a cohesive mood, whether its a marble-glass vase or a golden Easter egg. I treasure this issue.

Photographs by Sang An, Christopher Baker, James Merrell

The May Issue

The May issue of Martha Stewart Living is arriving in mailboxes this week and will soon be on newsstands. The iPad edition is already available!  I adore the cover! Inside the magazine are plenty of ideas for Mother's Day and graduations - all kinds of spring celebrations! There is also a really fun ad for Macy's featuring Martha in a giant pink tutu with her hair up.

Martha's American Food: A Preview

On April 24, Martha's American Food will hit the bookshelves, a new cookbook offering 200 recipes that celebrate the regional diversity of the United States. The book itself is divided into regional categories: All-American, Northeast, South, Midwest, Southwest and West. In addition to the recipes and techniques, Martha and her team of cooking editors provide historical 'backstories' to many of the recipes, divulging the secrets to their uniquely American popularity - at home and abroad.

Recipes include comforting Chicken Pot Pies, Grilled Fish Tacos, Barbecued Ribs and Hearty New England Clam Chowder. Hot crab dip, Indiana succotash, Chicken and Andouille Gumbo, Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Whitefish are more examples. There are desserts, too, such as New York cheesecake, Pecan Pie and Peach and Berry Cobbler. With over 400 pages of well-researched information and time-tested recipes, not to mention beautiful, full-colour photographs throughout, the book promises to be a 'must-have' for anyone who wants to experience the joy of cooking - American style!