Martha Stewart Put a New Roof on the House Where She Keeps Her Baskets

Martha Stewart reroofed the hut where she keeps her baskets. This isn’t euphemism or metaphor. The doyen of domesticity has put a new roof on the inviolable domain built to accommodate her large collection of woven containers. 

Stewart wrote about the process on her must-read blog, Up Close & Personal. “Many of these baskets I hadn’t seen in awhile,” she said. “They always bring back fond memories.”

One could lose an afternoon just imagining Stewart greeting her old friends, the baskets, one by one, as she places them on newly swept shelves. There’s the melon basket, also known as a “buttocks basket” due to its shape. “Hello, you,” she says. And the hearty garden baskets known as “trugs.” “How are you holding up, old boys?” The berry baskets. “Well, I suppose some congratulations are in order,” she tells them. The baskets for gathering eggs. “I trust the family is well,” etc.

I love the basket house and its remodel, and also feel generally better just knowing that Stewart owns a house for her baskets, But one can’t think too hard about it. The goal posts for happiness in a modern world keep moving, don’t they? First, we needed to own a home. Now, it’s absolutely imperative that we have a hut on the property that keeps all of our antique and precious baskets. I, for one, simply won’t know happiness without my basket house.

So what does one look for in a basket house? From Stewart’s photos and descriptions, a high and dry area sounds right. A generous space. Windows on three sides for “good cross ventilation.” Placement is important. If it is not “located across from my long clematis pergola,” as Martha’s is, then reconsider the location. These are all good things to keep in mind while planning your own basket hut, a fresh addendum to the American dream. Because what is a dream if not something to look forward to, and what’s better to look forward to than a house for one’s baskets?