At some point in your life, you have likely either owned a piece of her kitchenware, one of her books, or used one of her recipes – that’s right, we’re talking about the queen of all things crafts, cooking, and business – Martha Stewart! A name that’s been eternally synonymous with cookbooks, coffee table literature, and daytime television. Stewart got her first big break at age 15 when she began modeling for various brands, including Chanel. Growing up, Martha Stewart learned much of her crafty ways from various family members – her mother taught her how to sew and cook, her father (an avid gardener) shared much of his gardening expertise with her, and she learned how to can foods from her grandparents during a visit to their farm in Buffalo, New York. It was during her college years that she would meet Andrew Stewart, a graduate of Yale Law School, and the pair would go on to marry in July 1961. Several years into their marriage, Martha began working as a stockbroker, while Andrew started a publishing house. The couple moved to Westport, Connecticut, and purchased an 1805 farmhouse on Turkey Hill Road that they went on to fully restore (more on the Martha Stewart home and Martha Stewart house photos later).
Once settled into their new home, Stewart partnered up with one of her old modeling buddies to launch a catering business out of her own basement. The catering company led to Martha eventually opening her own store, and while catering one of her hubby’s book release parties, Stewart met with the head of Crown Publishing Group, who was so impressed with Martha’s skills in the kitchen that he tasked her with developing the cookbook “Entertaining.” This led to several more books on cooking and hosting at various events as well as magazine articles, television appearances, and newspaper columns. In 1990, Stewart released her self-titled magazine Martha Stewart Living, which was an immediate hit with fans. Okay, so now that we’ve explored a bit of miss Stewart’s past, it’s time to look at the present – from the Martha Stewart house that inspired the look of her television set, to her place in New York and beyond, we’re giving you the full scoop on her real estate portfolio, her family, and exactly how many zeros are in her net worth.
Where Does Martha Stewart Live?
So, how many homes does Martha Stewart have? The answer is…a lot! To be more specific, this business-savvy lady currently owns 5 homes, and that’s after selling a place on Perry Street in West Village, New York City, for $6.65 million back in 2011. As for where she spends most of her time these days, however, it seems Stewart prefers her expansive home in Bedford, New York, known as Cantitoe Corners. More on that and the rest of Stewart’s gorgeous properties below.
Martha Stewart House New York (Katonah)
Dubbed Cantitoe Corners (Cantitoe being the name of Indian chief Katonah’s wife, a figure who resided in the region during the 1700s), this sprawling 153-acre estate was purchased by Stewart back in 2000 for $15.2 million from the family of Ruth Sharpe, a millionaire who had owned the property for 50 years until her death in 1999. The estate is made up of several out-buildings and houses located on the grounds, making it look more like a small village cut straight out of some long-forgotten time and placed directly in the present day.
Stewart lives in a 3-story, 1925 farmhouse on the property called the “Winter House,” which features a spacious front porch, fireplace, and dormer windows on the third floor. Stewart sought the help of architect Allen Greenberg to expand the farmhouse only a year after purchasing the property. In addition to Stewart’s main residence, there is also the 1770 Colonial structure that was the original home built on the land, called Summer House, as well as a tenant cottage, a guest house (also known as Maple Avenue House), and even a contemporary home built a bit further from the rest of the structures. Stewart has spent the last decade improving, expanding, and restoring the property – adding stables for horses, barns, and greenhouses. She even turned an old garage that housed farming equipment into an entertainment space off the kitchen and transformed a barn into an office/project room for crafts and writing. Outside, Stewart imported century-old cedar paddock fencing to create a grazing space for her 5 horses and paved the courtyards on the property with cobblestone that formally adorned the streets of Elizabeth, New Jersey – the state where she was born and raised.
Martha Stewart Maine House (Seal Harbor)
Still waiting to be impressed? Well, let’s see if a look inside Martha Stewart’s home on Mount Desert Island will wow you! Finished in 1925 by architect Duncan Candler for Edsel Ford (son of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford), the incredible 63-acre Maine property, referred to as Skylands, was purchased by Stewart back in 1997 for $5.4 million – which was quite the bargain considering the original asking price was $6.9 million.
The 3-story mansion sits on the very top of a hill, providing amazing views of Seal Harbor, and came with all of Edsel Ford’s old furnishings, though Stewart admits she has added to the collection with some of her own touches (she is a pro decorator, after all). The residence features a spacious terrace overlooking the harbor, granite paving throughout several parts of the interior and exterior of the home, beamed ceilings in the great hall and living room, and 12 bedrooms as well as a flower room and library. The overall size of the home is reportedly 35,000 square feet.
In 2015, Stewart decided to add to her already massive estate by purchasing Ox Ledge, the 6,800 square foot neighboring home and legacy garden which were originally part of Ford’s Skylands estate, for $5.8 million.
Martha Stewart House East Hamptons
Stewart fell in love with the Hamptons during a summer spent in Sagaponack at Kurt Vonnegut’s home in the 90s. She became so enchanted by the area that in 1995, Martha decided she wanted her own little slice of Hamptons heaven and purchased Lily Pond Lane for $3 million. Much like the rest of her residences, Stewart set to work updating and improving the home, but kept many of the original fixtures so as to retain the charm of the property that made her fall for it in the first place. Some of Martha’s touches included the replacement of the home’s cracked plaster ceiling, more windows that helped provide better natural lighting, and a fresh coat of paint throughout – replacing the plain white walls in nearly every room in the house with warmer, buttercream tones that made it flow better with Stewart’s style.
Outside is a literal garden-lovers paradise, with gorgeously green privacy hedges, trees, and plants as far as the eye can see. If gardening isn’t your thing, however, there’s also a pool located on the 1-acre plot as well as the spacious front porch that features a dining table able to facilitate up to 60 guests…because it’s Martha Stewart, so why not?!
Martha Stewart House Turkey Hill
Martha Stewart’s first home in Westport, Connecticut, is nothing short of a true labor of love between Stewart and her family. Martha and then-husband, Andrew, purchased the farmhouse in 1971 for $46,750, with dreams of creating the perfect home for their family on the 2-acre plot. The original residence was in rough condition, to say the least – with a seriously neglected yard, beaten-up picket fence, a lackluster kitchen, and had no terrace, porch, garage, driveway, or even a working toilet. Despite the major uphill battle the couple faced in renovations, they were happy for the challenge and got straight to work making their dream a reality.
Much of the home’s initial renovations were undertaken by the couple themselves — they built a two-story garage on the property, installed a swimming pool, and even planted several fruit trees. By 1975, the couple decided it was time to expand and picked up the neighboring 2-acre plot for $47,000. They went on to add 2 additional greenhouses, a chicken coop that housed 80 roosters and laying hens, all-season gardens, and a massive veggie garden. Martha Stewart lived at Turkey Hill until 2007 when she decided it was time for a change of scenery. She sold the home for $6.7 million to a board member of a prominent alcohol and substance abuse organization.
How Old Is Martha Stewart?
Would you believe us if we told you that Martha Stewart was born in 1941, making her currently 79 years old? We understand, it’s hard to believe, especially since the woman doesn’t look a day over 50 and still juggles not only her television show, but also a plethora of other business ventures.
If we can ever find whatever fountain of youth she’s drinking from, you’ll be the first to know!
How Much Is Martha Stewart Worth?
Martha Stewart reached billionaire status shortly after debuting her company “Stewart Omnimedia,” a merchandise and media company, back in 1999. Over the years, however, her financial worth did dwindle slightly, but that doesn’t mean that she’s anywhere near broke…like, at all! In fact, Stewart made a sizable profit when she sold Omnimedia to Sequential Brands Group for $350 million in 2015. In addition to selling her company, Stewart also gets a steady flow of cash from her homeware brand, television appearances, and the endless supply of books that she’s authored and continues to author.
As of 2019, it’s estimated that Martha Stewart net worth is somewhere in the ballpark of $628 million.
Martha Stewart Family
Martha Stewart never remarried after her divorce from Andrew Stewart in 1990. She has one daughter, Alexis Stewart (55), and 2 grandchildren; granddaughter Jude (9) and grandson Truman (8).
Alexis has spoken openly numerous times throughout the years about her complicated relationship with her mother. Though Martha is often seen as the gentle, soft-spoken image of perfection on her television appearances and in her books, apparently growing up as the child of the craft queen was less than perfect – it actually kind of sucked, according to her daughter. In addition to never living up to her mother’s expectations, Alexis has also touched down on several other grievances that she had with her mother growing up, including the fact that holidays were apparently barely celebrated in their home, Martha wasn’t interested in being a hands-on parent, and apparently, there was never any food in the fridge – plenty of ingredients, but no food (what the actual heck, Martha?!). Despite their differences throughout the years, Alexis has said that she and her mother bonded more during Martha’s brief stint in federal prison and that she is still very protective of her mother.
Did Martha Stewart Go to Jail?
Yes, Martha Stewart spent 5 months behind bars in a federal prison close to Alderson, West Virginia, in 2004 before being released to spend the remaining 5 months of her sentence in home confinement at her farm in Bedford New York, located in Westchester County. Her legal issues stemmed from an incident that occurred in 2001 when Stewart sold around 4,000 shares of ImClone Systems, a company that was behind the development of cancer therapy drugs.
The company was operated by Stewart’s friend, Sam Waksal, who also sold his stock in the company around the same time Martha was offloading her shares, which also just so happened to be the day before it was announced that the company’s latest drug, Erbitux, was rejected by the Food and Drug Administration and its stock took a nosedive. Through witness testimony, it was discovered that Waksal sold his stock after learning of the drug’s failure, and Stewart was made aware that she should do the same: Thus, both parties were caught with their hands in the insider trading cookie jar and the courts were not impressed. Waksal was sentenced to over 7 years in prison for the offense. All things considered, Martha Stewart got a far more relaxed sentence – spending her time in a minimum-security facility and receiving a fine of only $30,000. After serving her sentence, Stewart was given an additional 2 years of probation. Considering she was facing up to 16 years in prison, serving only 5 months in a facility known as “Camp Cupcake” seems like a pretty sweet deal at the end of the day.