Martha Stewart Responds to Fans’ ‘Harsh Judgment’ of Her Maine Summer House Decor

Martha Stewart‘s home decor is rarely questioned after decades as one of the biggest stars when it comes to design and personal living spaces. She was shocked when fans slammed the interior of her Maine summer house and let fans know about her disappointment.

“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!!!” Martha, ​82, wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday, July 4, while showing off a living room photo of the home.

The former daytime TV host said her “helpers” spent “three hours moving out the old furniture and putting in the new,” and that “we were pleased that the pieces actually fit the room and were proportionate to the large size of the space.”

Martha added that the home decor was still a work in progress.

“The was not a ‘decorator’s’ professional installation It was an attempt to change quickly and efficiently 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 added in the caption.

Martha originally shared eight photos of the home’s interior on Wednesday, July 3, but it was met with derision in the comments.

“Looks old and stuffy,” one fan wrote about how the room seemed to just feature lots of furniture but not much personality. “Looks like a big crowded room with no contrast,” another person added.

One user joked about the sheer number of chairs and sofas included in the vast main room, writing, “I think you need more seating……,” while another joked, “Is this a restaurant or a living room?”

More brutal comments came as a fan told Martha, “This looks vast and cold and sterile,” while another wrote, “Yuck. It looks like a Marriott suite living room in 1987.”

“Doesn’t look homey and inviting. Looks more like a furniture showroom than a home. Sad to see,” one disappointed fan commented.

In the caption, the New Jersey native told readers, “Big day rearranging the furniture in the three main living rooms at Skylands.”

Martha continued, “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!) 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.”

The house on the 63-acre estate was built for automotive visionary Edsel Ford, of what became Ford automotive, and his family as a summer retreat from their home base in Detroit, Michigan. Martha purchased Skylands in 1997.

“I look at myself as the caretaker of an American treasure,” she told Architectural Digest of the property in 2015. She bought the home fully furnished but added touches of her own taste over the years.