Martha Stewart is surprised by the 'harsh' criticism of her living room redo

Martha Stewart now knows that trying to appease internet trolls is for the birds. 

The 82-year-old TV host addressed the recent backlash she received for one of her newly decorated Maine living rooms — which features yellow furniture and several large bird portraits — in an Instagram post on July 4. 

"I rarely read all the comments that come in after I post, but because I was so happy at the transformation of my Maine living room I did go through many of the comments and was surprised at the harsh judgment so many displayed!!!" Stewart wrote. "I and my Maine helpers spent three hours moving out the old furniture and putting in the new. #We were pleased that the pieces actually fit the room and were proportionate to the large size of the space."

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The celebrity chef, decor guru, and businesswoman explained that the room refresh was an attempt to change the space's style "quickly and efficiently" and that professional decorators weren't involved in the design process.  

Stewart also clarified that the update is far from over. "Making a house, a home, or a room a beautiful livable space takes a lot more than three hours," she explained. "Of course there will be color, plants, mirrors, a new rug or two, and other art and objects. Stay tuned!!!!"

She added, "And, by the way, the birds are chromo lithographs by Carroll Tyson known as the '6Audubon of Maine' — so beautiful!"

The How to Decorate author unveiled her living room's new look in an Instagram post earlier this week after a "big day rearranging the furniture in the three main living rooms" of her home. "We switched the living room from grey blue upholstery to a creamy pale buttery yellow," she wrote, noting that she loved "the rustic yet elegant charm of this lovely 1925 house."

Detractors struggled to see her vision for the space. In the original post's comment section, one user wrote, "Going to be honest...you could hire a better decorator, do this in an English country style, and it would be so upleveled and comfortable."

Another wrote, "Imagine living in a place where there are no photos of family, nothing personal, a lack of color, a tired fireplace, blankets that no one will use. It looks exactly how my husband's stepmother lived in her Naples penthouse. She'd be 105. Sorry, Martha…. You need color."

A third commenter didn't hold back at all, writing, "Yuck. It looks like a Marriott suite living room in 1987."