Martha Stewart Living's Founding Editors Look Back at the Magazine's Most Memorable Moments

January 04, 2021
Credit: Maria Robledo

As Living celebrates its 30th birthday, the creatives who helped shape the publication into what it is today revisit some of its most defining stories.

Start Slideshow

1 of 44

Credit: Maria Robledo

"Our families and our homes are the centers of our lives," Martha wrote in the very first issue of Living. "This magazine will always be filled with ways to make those homes more beautiful, more comfortable, and more full of life and light and joy for those we love." Three decades ago, she and a small but mighty team set out to deliver on that promise, dreaming up creative ideas, cleaning and organizing clutter before that became an industry (and a Netflix series), and cooking up troves of delicious dishes for both the everyday and extra-special events. It was vital to capture it all authentically, too—in natural light, using emerging photographers and talented stylists—and to frame it with good design and typography. (Martha has always cared about it all.)

Back then, much like today, there was a lot happening around the world: The Berlin Wall had just come down; Nelson Mandela was freed from prison; the Gulf War was starting; and Margaret Thatcher resigned after having served 11 years as the U.K.'s first female prime minister. But Martha and Co. remained focused on our favorite place: the home front—and we still are. Our version of a celebrity is a transcendent baker or an expert iris grower. We have an eye on the new, but appreciate the old—as well as the handmade, the homemade, and the American-made. And rather than report on trends, we champion personal style.

To mark this milestone anniversary, we've assembled iconic images from over the years and reminisced with former staff who shaped the magazine into what it is today. "Martha offers a key to a life that people otherwise couldn't envision," says founding editor Isolde Motley. Come on in—let's celebrate the things we love.

An April 1997 story on Wedgwood china explored the classic English company and showcased a range of styles, from jasperware to creamware.

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 44

Celebrating Beauty: Plums, August 1994

Credit: Victor Schrager

Living published its first glossary—or "visual encyclopedia," as founding creative director Gael Towey called these breathtaking images—in the premiere issue. It was a digest of evergreen boughs, and the format quickly became a signature of the magazine.

3 of 44

Celebrating Beauty: Backyard Birds, 1998

Credit: Victor Schrager

The editors would plumb the depths of each subject they covered, leaving no gemstone, songbird, or fig unexamined.

Advertisement

4 of 44

Celebrating Beauty: Ferns, April 1995

Credit: Victor Schrager

"We tried to be as extensive as possible," recalls Gael of their approach.

5 of 44

Celebrating Beauty: Tree Peonies, March 2001

Credit: Gentl and Hyers

"We reached out to people from all over the country," says Gael, "gathering all kinds of peonies or heirloom peaches."

6 of 44

Celebrating Beauty: Oysters, December 2006

Credit: Hans Gissinger

"Or having crabs and oysters shipped to us live, packed on ice," Gael continues.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 44

Celebrating Beauty: Figs, September 1997

Credit: Maria Robledo

That approach—scientific-quality precision combined with photography—made learning fun.

8 of 44

Celebrating Beauty: Magnolias, April 1996

Credit: Melanie Acevedo

"They were really unusual for the time," says founding editor Isolde Motley. "We wanted to make knowledge accessible."

9 of 44

Celebrating Beauty: Gemstones, May 2005

Credit: David Meredith

These pieces of earth (or treasures from the sea, as is the case of pearls and coral) come in every color under the sun. They are cut into shapes that highlight their beauty, such as squares or teardrops. Some are faceted, so light can bounce off every surface; others, smooth and lustrous.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 44

Celebrating Beauty: Hibiscus, March 2004

Credit: Maria Robledo

"We had this phrase: 'Turning dreamers into doers.' We wanted to show the really beautiful, but there always had to be a takeaway, an element of empowerment. You might not be able to grow the entire glossary, but you can grow one variety—and here's how to do that," says Margaret Roach, the founding garden editor and former editorial director.

11 of 44

Celebrating Food: Stuffed Chicken, January 2011

Credit: John Kernick

Eating locally and seasonally is Martha's food philosophy, and it informs every story: Make daily meals fresh and a joy to eat, and pull out all the stops for special occasions.

12 of 44

Celebrating Food: Coconut Layer Cake, May 1997

Credit: Maria Robledo

"It seemed like no one was making layer cakes at the time," says founding food editor Susan Spungen of the May 1997 feature that included this coconut knockout. "It was a classic that had disappeared, and this story helped bring them back. I've baked this one many, many times over the years."

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 44

Celebrating Food: Fountain Drinks, July/August 1999

Credit: Anna Williams

"What was revolutionary at the time was that we were capturing real moments—cooking food that we made ourselves and shooting it all in natural light, using no food-styling trickery," says Susan. "Martha wanted people to know exactly what a finished recipe would look like. We've always bristled at anything artificial."

14 of 44

Celebrating Food: Caviar, December 1994/January 1995

Credit: Carlton Davis

"She cooked and styled much of the food herself in the early issues," recalls Gael, and that set the hands-on culture of the magazine for generations of editors and readers.

15 of 44

Celebrating Food: One-Pan Pasta, June 2013

Credit: Marcus Nilsson

Martha made this one-pan pasta recipe from the Martha Stewart Living June 2013 issue on Cooking School. To this day, the simple recipe, which comes together in a single large-sided skillet, is a family staple.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 44

Celebrating Food: Tomato Toast, July/August 2013

Credit: Marcus Nilsson

A rainbow of heirloom tomatoes elevated crunchy toast—and made quite the colorful feature in the July/August 2013 issue of Martha Stewart Living.

17 of 44

Celebrating Food: Madeleines, Holiday Cookies Special Issue 2005

Credit: Victor Schrager

Living's take on this classic cookie debuted in a special holiday issue in 2005.

18 of 44

Celebrating Food: Cooking with Parchment, January 2005

Credit: Hans Gissinger

For former editorial food director Lucinda Scala Quinn, a January 2005 feature about cooking with parchment paper sums up the Living approach: "It took a basic tool and simple ingredients, and transformed them into a study of light, shape, and color—in other words, art."

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 44

Celebrating Food: Fruit-and-Herb Sorbet, July 2005

Credit: Gentl and Hyers

Meticulously recipe-tested, every result—including this fruit-and-herb sorbet—was also downright delicious.

20 of 44

Celebrating the Home: Kitchen at Bedford

Credit: Martyn Thompson

When Living launched, Martha showed that decorating your home with personal style and a cohesive palette and point of view can be realized by everyone—not just high-end interior designers.

21 of 44

Celebrating the Home: Decorating at Bedford

Credit: Pieter Estersohn

She also welcomed readers into her own residences: Turkey Hill, the 19th-century Connecticut property she renovated from the ground up; her bustling Bedford farm; her East Hampton beach getaway; and her woodsy, magically mossy Maine retreat.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

22 of 44

Celebrating the Home: Farming at Bedford

Credit: Gentl and Hyers

These homes have always been her Living laboratories, where she could test things out and "teach by example," says Kevin Sharkey, former decorating editor and current EVP and executive director of design for the Martha brand.

23 of 44

Celebrating the Home: The Gardens at Turkey Hill

Credit: Richard Felber

Drop by any day and she might be painting her walls with a faux-bois technique, burnishing copper until it gleamed, feeding her chickens, or plotting a perennial bed.

24 of 44

Celebrating the Home: Coastal Living at Lily Pond

Credit: Noe Dewitt

"So many of those early stories were answers to questions we had in our real lives," says Lisa Wagner, founding style editor and former video executive producer.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

25 of 44

Celebrating the Home: Summer at Skylands

Credit: Pieter Estersohn

"Where else, other than maybe university, would you be thrown a topic, paired with equally obsessive and curious partners, and told to go for it?" asks Stephen Earle, former style and home editor.

26 of 44

Celebrating the Home: Collections and Décor at Skylands

Credit: Sarah Maingot

"Martha has an insatiable curiosity and continually wants to learn. She is best known as a teacher, but she is also a perpetual student, which in turn makes her an even better teacher," says Marcie McGoldrick, former editorial director of crafts.

27 of 44

Celebrating the Home: Holiday Decorating, December 2003

Credit: Thibault Jeanson

"One of the most rewarding parts of the job was creating something you were personally passionate about and seeing it manifested in the pages of the magazine. I think everyone felt that. Martha encouraged us to follow our passions. I always loved the holidays, and must have decorated hundreds of trees during my tenure," says Eric Pike, former editor in chief and creative director, affectionately known in these parts as Father Christmas. For this holiday decorating story in the December 2003 issue, Eric, executive creative director at the time, adorned a tree in his New York City apartment with mercury-and silver-glass ornaments. He hung shorter glass icicles on top and longer ones below, to mimic what he saw in nature.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

28 of 44

Celebrating the New and the Old: Mercury Glass, December 1996/January 1997

Credit: Stephen Lewis

As much as our founding editors relished discovering the new, they also revered the past.

29 of 44