Martha Stewart Crashes NYC Home Depot Workshop

It was just an ordinary night at The Home Depot's Painting Workshop. That was until Martha showed up.

Last night, ShelterPop and DIY Life editors were some of the lucky ones who got to attend The Home Depot's "Do-It-Herself" Workshop in New York City. The event, featuring Martha Stewart Living Paint, demonstrated decorative painting techniques. Hey, who couldn't use a how-to on painting two-tone striped walls? We sure could.

Martha's paint line launched at The Home Depot just last month so it made perfect sense that the featured products were hers. What we did not expect was a high-heel clad Martha to stroll in wearing a bright-orange apron ready to demo painting techniques. "Always paint in high heels," she said jokingly. "You can reach up higher that way."

Martha gave loads of great advice and even spilled some personal info -- like the color of her bedroom and various homes. Her bedroom ceiling is this beautiful Ballet Slipper Pink (below left); the walls are a File Cabinet Yellow (not shown).

We've extracted some highlights and our personal favorites from the night. Having never met Martha before, the general consensus on our team was a big, lovely thumbs up. She was very entertaining and seems remarkably down-to-earth, despite all those houses she owns! Ah, to be Martha.

And now: Pearls of wisdom from the woman herself -- plus some random facts and tid bits.


1. Martha's color inspirations right now
Having just redecorated her East Hampton, New York home, Martha has some new-found color inspirations. Rugs, she says, were always a no-go in the East Hampton house since it's really a beach house. That all changed during this redesign and she has since introduced a golden-gray sisal rug in her living area. Those tones are complimented by colors similar to those in Martha's bedroom -- a yellow and a pink. In this case, it is Cornbread on the walls and Ballet Slipper Pink on the ceiling (both shown above).

2. "Be happy with gray!" says Martha
When DIY Life editor, Kristine Solomon, asked which shade of gray would look decorative, not dreary, on her apartment walls, Martha replied with a definitive "Sharkey Gray," explaining that her own daughter had her entire apartment painted this color. Kristine gratefully thanked Martha, explaining that her own mother will officially have to stop criticizing her choice of wall paint because, hey, "Martha picked this for me." Martha's reply? "Well, mothers don't know everything."

3. Neutral does not mean boring
She calls neutral paint colors the "Super Naturals" because she believes that you don't have to go bold to make an impact. Try using a few different neutral shades in your home and you'll see how nicely they blend and flow from room to room. It's easy, she says, to grow tired of bold shades like green and purple in your home. Maybe this is why us ShelterPop editors are always repainting our homes? Color addicts.

4. Use low-tack tape when painting
It's simple. The less tack, the easier it is to remove. If your tape is still pretty tacky, here's a fantastic industry secret: Put some lint on your tape. Stick it along your smock while you're working. It will make it less tacky. Also, never leave tape on over night because it could get stuck to the wall and tear.

5. Treat ceilings differently than walls
When it comes to ceilings, choose a glossier finish (semi-gloss or glossy). Walls should get flat or eggshell finishes. Martha suggests using color on ceilings for an unexpected pop. But, she says, never paint a low ceiling a dark shade. It will only make the space feel smaller. If you have a high ceiling, though, you can go dark.

6. Finishes, finishes
The walls in high-activity areas like the kitchen and bathroom should have more of a sheen. Bedrooms and living rooms are best suited with flat finishes.

7. A furry situation
Our favorite bit from the night was learning that Martha and her team have used the many shades of color found in her cat's fur as inspiration. They say inspirations can come from anywhere. Hearing this really drills that point home.

Learn how-to create a striped tone-on-tone painted wall (that Martha demo'ed herself!) over at Good Bones Great Pieces