Martha Stewart Shares Her Top Summer Hosting Spreads...and Muses on a Rogue Squirrel That’s Eating Her Peaches

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Eighty-one-year-old Martha Stewart is so much more than a household name: She’s a DIY icon, a domestic diva, a garden guru, a bestselling author, an adept businesswoman, a media mogul—and, more recently, a late-in-life bombshell who made history last May by becoming the oldest woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. We sat down with Stewart to talk about what she’s up to this summer, from her latest partnership with Samsung as the face of their More Wow Than Ever campaign to chasing down rogue peach-loving rodents on her 153-acre farm in Bedford, New York. Whether she’s brewing cappuccinos for her spontaneous neighbor visitors or hosting Wimbledon parties where the Bellinis are flowing, it’s clear that the woman whom David Letterman called the “James Brown of home entertaining” shows no signs of slowing down, age be damned!

ELLE DECOR: The Sports Illustrated cover—you looked fabulous. How did you summon the confidence to do it?

Martha Stewart: I don’t know why it takes so much confidence, it’s just another job. For me, it was a nice challenge because I knew I could do it. I’ve been modeling since I was 16 years old, so that wasn’t the problem. The problem was looking perfect in the bathing suits. So it just meant a bit more intense workout regimen and abstaining from anything unhealthy—no sugar, no alcohol, and a daily green juice—and it worked out nicely.

ED: The responses to that cover were beyond positive.

MS: It was an amazing response. And mostly for women. Because they all felt “oh she can do it, then I could do it.” And that was really the nice result, that women didn’t hate me, they really embraced what I was doing. I think that’s the most important outcome—that and the 170 billion impressions, which is pretty good for the brand.

ED: How do you feel that reflects on how we as a society are eager to see a woman in her 80s appear as flirty, hot, and comfortable in her own skin?

MS: Well, it wasn’t in bad taste. It was done in excellent taste. And I think that really made a difference. It wasn’t in any way tawdry—the tone was just perfect. And the editor [MJ Day] is a fabulous woman, this young woman who’s done this for, like, 23 years. And she really nailed it. She got it right.

SMEG Retro Citrus Juicer

SAMSUNG 65-inch QLED Outdoor Television

CB2 Eve Coupe Cocktail Glass

ED: As a fellow home enthusiast, I’d love to know what your favorite hosting items are over the summer.

MS: I have a beautiful pool and dining pavilion, and it hasn’t really been very nice weather to do fun things outside. But in between the raindrops, we’ve been entertaining. We just recently put one of Samsung’s huge outdoor televisions by my pool, which is great for not only music videos and things like that if you’re having a party, but it’s also nice to watch sports out there. We watched tennis matches on it, and it was great to sit outside in the hot tub and watch our little Spanish tennis star [Carlos Alcaraz] win Wimbledon. In fact, just this Saturday night we were out at the pool after a party, all drinking Bellinis and watching some fun stuff on TV.

Chefman Espresso Machine

Tuuci Ocean Master Scalloped Umbrella

Costa Nova Organic Pie Dish

ED: And what are your go-to at-home luxury comfort items, from candles to throw pillows to outdoor furniture?

MS: Well, not so much candles. But my cappuccino machine is one of my favorite things. It’s the hub of my kitchen because everybody comes for cappuccinos or iced coffees. Everybody’s invited to have that, and so people come at all hours in their cars to get the perfect cup of coffee because there aren’t that many places near me, and my neighbors all know that.

I also have these big Tuuci umbrellas, which I adore. Shade is important nowadays. I mean, none of us can get roasted in the sun. It’s always nice to have a freshly made pie sitting on the counter. Friends come by, and I love making impromptu pastas. On Saturday night, a friend came over with three of his friends, and I made the most delicious linguine con vongole. I made it a little different. It was delicious.

Imperia Pasta Machine

Pasta Machine

Frame My TV Gold Television Frame

Gold Television Frame

Noble House Outdoor Hanging Chair

Outdoor Hanging Chair

ED: How’s your garden doing this summer?

MS: I pulled probably 30 pounds of carrots yesterday from the garden. Everything was planted in this new garden, and everything was planted a little too close and grew a little too big. Anything that’s cracked or imperfect we give to my chickens and peacocks, but I also send a whole truck of food up to Maine.

This year, we also have red raspberries, black raspberries, blueberries, and peaches. I have a bowl of peaches cut up and ready—they’re macerating right now, and they’re going to be made into a pie tonight. But it took some effort getting those, because there’s a little squirrel that’s eating all my peaches. Those little beasts are getting my fruit before I am, but it was the cutest squirrel.

ED: Shifting gears a bit, tell me a bit about this new Samsung partnership and the More Wow Than Ever Campaign.

MS: It’s been fun to work with a company that is so devoted to high-quality products. Not everybody is so knowledgeable and so persistent and getting the best stuff out in the marketplace quickly. So the new OLED TVs, I mean, they’re fantastic. The quality of the picture, you’re just taken aback when you see it. You can display pretty much any piece of artwork on it. And if you’re in the kitchen, you can call up any recipe on these frames on the wall. It’s all interactive. I like that interactivity that goes on with the Samsung products.

ED: You’re always reinventing yourself. What are you up to nowadays or what is next?

MS: I don’t call it reinvention. Because I’m here, I’m “it,” I’m Martha. You can’t really reinvent that person. But you can evolve that person. And I do that by staying interested in all the things that are happening around us, keeping well informed. I read three newspapers a day; I do all the puzzles every single day. I listen to good podcasts and good news broadcasts when I’m in the car coming from Bedford every day. I’m doing a lot of things all at the same time, and always learning. One of my mottoes is “Learn something new every day.” My basic occupation is teaching people how to do things, so as a teacher, I have to keep evolving each day.

This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.

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