Martha Stewart Living March 2019

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, two of my mother’s closest friends, Joanne and Mary, had an interior-design business, which was very serendipitous for us. Though my mom has her own distinct style, she needed a little help from her (talented) friends to redo an old house on a budget, while running a business and raising a family. From the start, I remember Joanne and Mary never set out to fill our house—or any other, for that matter—with trends. As a cautionary tale, Mary would joke, “Just look at what happened to all those avocado-colored kitchens everyone had to have in the ’70s.” More often, I’d overhear things like “That’s so Grace [my mom]” or “Bill [Dad] will like that,” as they pored over paint chips and fabric swatches at our dining-room…

ON THE ROAD FULL STEAM Glenwood Springs, Colorado Soak in the geothermal healing powers—and stunning Rocky Mountain views—at the Glenwood Hot Springs Resort, where two pools stay a toasty 90 and 104 degrees, respectively. They hold almost 2 million gallons of water containing potassium, calcium, and inflammation-reducing magnesium. Here, more spots where stress evaporates. MIDWAY, UTAH Scuba-dive all year in the warm waters of the Homestead Resort’s crater, which is submerged beneath a 55-foot-tall calcite dome. Bathers are welcome, too. WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WEST VIRGINIA For its signature spa treatment—which includes a dip and a Swedish massage—the Greenbrier pumps skin-calming, sulfur-rich water into its tubs. THERMOPOLIS, WYOMING Visit Hot Springs State Park and end a day of hiking, skiing, or bison-spotting in a muscle-melting 100-plus-degree pool. SECRET SOURCE Woodworks Ltd. “This site has an immense inventory: You’ll find wooden beads, boxes, even…

The term artist-in-residence truly hits home in the work spaces of these American masters. Pay a visit, and leave with a newfound appreciation. Thomas Hart Benton Step into the Kansas City, Missouri, abode of the 20th-century painter and muralist, and see the space just as he left it, with clusters of paint-stained brushes and even a stretched canvas intended for his next masterpiece. mostateparks.com Georgia O’Keeffe From her adobe home in Abiquiú, New Mexico, you can spot this icon’s frequent focal points, like the shimmering cottonwood trees growing nearby and her green patio door. okeeffemuseum.org Norman Rockwell A Shaker-style carpenter helped the prolific American illustrator turn his Stockbridge, Massachusetts, carriage house into what he called his “best studio yet.” nrm.org…

WHEN I RESTORED MY FARMHOUSE in Bedford 15 years ago, I allocated a portion of the kitchen for a home office. I thought it would be a good place to handle correspondence, do my planning, and even write. I outfitted a counter with a desktop computer, a printer, a scanner, a Sonos music-control center, and a wall-mounted large-screen TV. Since then, my at-home “duties” have expanded: I often hold meetings in the kitchen, which is also home base for my four dogs and two cats. It’s where my staff takes coffee breaks (the big espresso machine is usually busy) and, naturally, where we cook daily meals. My photos for the Martha Blog are processed here, and I post Instagram photos and tweets at this spot, too. It has gotten very…

Slatted wooden trays built from scrap lumber are popular among British gardeners for starting their seedlings indoors. Now they’re catching on stateside with growers seeking a greener option than the usual plastic kind. A half-size one, about 12 inches square, is also a brilliant multitasker. Build your own (instructions abound online) or buy one, and you can reuse it to tote garden supplies all season, then carry in produce come harvest time.…

Would you, could you, for a party? You would, you could, you little smartie. These deviled eggs will be delicious. Use frozen peas—oh, so nutritious! Creamy, cool, they taste like spring. Pea shoots on top give fresh-picked zing. Add cooked pancetta for some crunch; they’ll be a hit, so make a bunch.…