Martha's Homes: Her Organizing Solutions

In Martha's Bedford kitchen, the servery space includes freezer drawers for storage, plus an ice maker and warming drawers for entertaining. Two dishwashers ease clean-up, and the marble floor can be vacuumed and washed with a damp mop.

Martha's kitchen office functions as a media center. There's a large-screen television for watching programs and DVDs, plus a computer, printer, and scanner for email, projects, research, and accessing recipes. Several small cubbies hold messages, paper, and supplies. At the desk, you'll also find telephones and a Sirius satellite radio.

Two islands in the Bedford kitchen offer seating and storage. An overhead steel rack keeps pots and pans reachable but out of the way.

Martha did not want the cupboards at her Bedford home to look like ordinary built-ins, so she designed a pair of long counters with marble tops; on one of them are glass-sided cabinets. They look so light and keep the space airy in appearance.

Really "making" a bed into a comfortable, gorgeous place to lie down actually takes quite a bit of designing, careful craftsmanship, some excellent fabrics, beautiful linens, and common sense.

Martha's guests know that a warm welcome and an organized stay awaits them. At Skylands, she has a schedule of weekend activities printed and placed in the rooms to keep guests informed about hikes, tennis schedules and the time of breakfast each morning. Of course, the rooms also have necessities like alarm clocks and stationery.

Bathrooms are always stocked with necessities guests may have forgotten: pain relievers, mouthwash, a fresh toothbrush, and a dark towel for removing makeup.