MARTHA BAKER

With a background in art and architecture, Martha Baker has transformed what she terms “a strong visual direction” into a career focused on style and design.  She is the author of three books, an accomplished event designer and an owner of an active landscape architecture and garden design business with projects in the Hamptons, Greenwich, Rye, New Canaan, Bedford, San Francisco, Palm Beach and an extensive full estate project in England.  Her clients include John McEnroe, Norman Perlstine (former head of Time, Inc.), Katie Ford (owner of Ford Models), Andre Balazs (hotelier), Steven Brill (founder of Court TV and Brill’s Content Magazine), and Tom Florio (publisher of Vogue).

With the release of her first book, Garden Ornaments, Baker’s reputation in the field of landscape design was firmly established.  Her gardens have been included in the Parrish Art Museum and the Horticultural Alliance tours in the Hamptons, as well as such magazines as Martha Stewart Living, House Beautiful, British House and Garden, Country Living, Elle Decor, Veranda, and Departures.  In her last beautifully illustrated book, The Swimming Pool, Baker offers a wide variety of suggestions for designing and decorating pools; ranging from lush “private oases” to minimalist, the pools in Baker’s Book are sure to inspire landscape designers and pool owners alike.

At the podium, Baker shares her unique and innovative approach to re-designing outdoor spaces and making them reflect their purpose as well as their owners’ personality.

Prior to writing her first book, Garden Ornaments, Martha worked on the editorial staff of numerous publications.  She served as the first fashion editor of Self magazine, sitting’s editor for Harper’s Bazaar, fashion editor at the New York Times Magazine, and fashion director of New York Magazine.

Baker published her second book, The Outdoor Living Room: Stylish Ideas for Porches, Patios, and Pools.  In addition to writing garden features for the New York Times Thursday Home section, Martha helped launch O, The Oprah Magazine. Baker has also appeared on Martha Stewart, “E” Entertainment and, most recently, CNN.

As an event designer, for several years Baker has created centerpieces for the New York Botanical Garden’s Orchid Dinner at the University Club. She has also produced weddings in Nantucket, New York City, the Hamptons, California and Montana.

Baker has four children and resides in Greenwich, Connecticut and Shelter Island, New York.