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Louise Thomas
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Martha Stewart has responded to online critics who voiced how unimpressed they were with her interior decorating skills.
Stewart took to Instagram recently to show off her living rooms.
“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 ( all the yellow came from lily pond lane which I sold two years ago!)” her caption began.
“The library is much more comfortable now and the faux Bois table is now the card table. I love the rustic yet elegant charm of this lovely 1925 house.”
At the time, some commenters were pleased with how the upgrade had turned out.
“Very lily pond lane. I’ve always loved both homes,” one comment read with another commenter agreeing: “It looks so good! Just perfect!”
However, others questioned where exactly her inspiration had come from.
“Looks old and stuffy,” one comment wrote.
Another commenter agreed, writing: “Yuck. It looks like a Marriott suite living room in 1987.”
“Not your best work,” a third commenter pointed out. “It feels empty, like no soul empty.”
The negative comments prompted Stewart to share another Instagram post using another photo from the updated living room with a caption that addressed the criticism.
“I rarely read all the comments that come in after I post but because I was so happy at the transformation of my Maine living room I did go through many of the comments and was surprised at the harsh judgment so many displayed!!!” the caption began.
She noted how much time had gone into re-doing the room and finding furniture that properly fit it.
“I and my Maine helpers spent three hours moving out the old furniture and putting in the new #we were pleased that the pieces actually fit the room and were proportionate to the large size of the space. The was not a ‘decorator’s’ professional installation, it was an attempt to change quickly and efficiently,” she explained.
The lifestyle guru also added that she wasn’t done decorating either. “Making a house a home , or a room a beautiful livable space takes a lot more than three hours. Of course there will be color, plants, mirrors, a new rug or two and other art and objects. Stay tuned!!!!” she wrote.
“And by the way the birds are chromo lithographs by Carroll Tyson known as the ‘6Audubon of Maine’ -so beautiful!”
Fans went on to encourage her to ignore negative comments and telling her she doesn’t need to justify why she does what she does to others.
“I have been in this house. It’s a national treasure. Beautiful, classic and historic. Martha has done everything to restore and maintain its elegance and history. If you don’t know and have no true perspective then please keep your comments to yourself. As my grandmother used to say, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all,” one commenter emphasized.
Another commenter agreed, writing: “After decades of inspiring millions in home decor, cooking, entertaining - you owe the negative commenters nothing! If you’re happy with it, that’s all that matters. Keep being the queen that you are!”
