Talk Shop: Emily Painter // Freshly Set
Photo by Peter Murdock
ABOUT EMILY
Emily Painter, founder of chic tabletop rental company Freshly Set, is an entrepreneur and interior designer who has spent the past decade decorating homes up and down the East Coast—from Maine and Georgia to Palm Beach and Antigua. She has worked with lauded designers Margaret Kirkland in Atlanta and Amanda Lindroth in Palm Beach (she helped to co-found the Amanda Lindroth Home Collection with Amanda and her husband!), honing her skills and becoming known as a tastemaker in the industry.
Growing up with the longstanding southern tradition of hospitality, Emily developed a love of entertaining and a passion for hosting friends in her family home. While hosting many gatherings over the past years, Emily realized she does not have the space, or the budget, to own the various tabletop items needed to create a special table for every occasion. Thus, she set out to create a solution, and she and her husband, Austin Painter, launched Freshly Set in the spring of 2020.
Offering unique, name-brand tabletop pieces for rent, Freshly Set makes beautiful entertaining more accessible. We love the concept for its ease, and love Freshly Set’s inventory for Emily’s chic and well trained eye when curating the stock.
Emily lives in Palm Beach with Austin, their two-year-old son, Charlie, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Collins. We chatted with her below about her favorite entertaining tips, hostess gifts, and more!
Describe your style in three words or less:
Classic, colorful, inviting & island-y. (sorry about the 4th!)
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
My mother is a stylish homemaker and entertainer. She filled my childhood home with beautiful, traditional fabrics, furniture and antiques, many of which were passed down to her from her mother. She throws beautiful parties and passed these decorating and hosting traits down to me.
My surroundings have also had a huge impact on my style. In Atlanta I immersed myself in traditional, southern interior design. Our first apartment was covered in pretty Colefax and Fowler chintz fabrics, Staffordshire dogs and majolica. When we moved to South Florida, I soaked up all of the iconic styles in Palm Beach and the Bahamas.
I’ve also been lucky enough to spend time in gorgeous homes with fashionable, talented designers and tastemakers who have inspired me and shaped my aesthetic.
How did you start Freshly Set, and what is your favorite thing about what you do:
I woke up one morning with an idea that there should be a better way to consume tabletop decor. Buying expensive tabletop items for one or two occasions seems so wasteful and limiting, but I also know they can truly elevate the experience. I decided to create a service that would make beautifully-made table linens and accessories accessible to more people. Prior to this, my husband and I co-founded the Amanda Lindroth Home Collection with Amanda and her husband. That process gave us a 4+ year crash course in merchandising, retail, marketing, sales, product development, and warehousing, so I felt confident in our ability to successfully navigate the space. Once the idea hit, it was all I could think and talk about, and 6 months later we launched Freshly Set!
I love decorating and making pretty settings, so putting together the different tabletop schemes for our Instagram account is fun for me. We use flowers in most of the designs, which means we always have fresh flowers in the house. It’s such a treat - especially because they are now considered a business expense!
I’ve also enjoyed helping brides and hostesses with styling advice. Because we launched our company during Covid, the events our customers are renting for are very intimate and special. I love being a part of these occasions in a small way!
Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:
I’ve worked for two wonderful, talented and successful women: Margaret Kirkland in Atlanta and Amanda Lindroth in Palm Beach / the Bahamas.
Margaret is an alumni of the great decorator, Dan Carithers, and taught me all about the traditional rules and techniques on drapery, upholstery, trims, rugs, antiques, etc. Amanda taught me that the rules don’t always apply in the islands, and showed me how to create the magical, relaxed, island-style interiors for which she is known.
I’ve been able to mix the two together to create my personal style. I couldn’t have asked for better mentors! I’ve also been lucky to work with my long-time colleague and great friend, Aldous Bertram. He is an expert on chinoiserie as well as English architecture and design and I’ve learned so much from him…. and laughed a lot too!
What does your home say about you:
It says I am collected, relaxed, classic, and island-inspired.
You are an accomplished interior designer– what are your three best tips for someone just getting started decorating:
Put yourself out there! I’ve gotten every internship, interview and job I’ve ever had by cold-emailing the head designers directly. It never hurts to ask and it can lead you to incredible experiences and opportunities.
Read every design magazine/book that you can get your hands on. There are so many great designers out there and you can get inspiration from all of them. Lastly, learn from every mistake but don’t be too hard on yourself. Things always go wrong in decorating, but it’s never the end of the world. Just make sure to take note and do it differently the next time around.
Where do you find inspiration:
Instagram, magazines, books, restaurants, travel, fashion, clients—all over the place!
Who are your style icons:
I have so many interior style icons. Currently, I’ve been really into Isabel Lopez-Quesada’s work in Spain and Beata Heuman’s work in England.
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
Great food, wine and company, and a beautiful, thoughtful table setting that makes you and your guests feel special. A patterned tablecloth can add so much style to your dinner table! And, of course, great candlelight.
Do you collect anything:
Artwork - we’ve moved several times over the years and it’s something we can take with us that makes each space special. I’ve currently got my eye on a vintage 1970’s Tiger painting. They were commissioned by the Spanish designer Jaime Parlade and are just so fun.
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:
I’m loving @ElizabethHayDesign right now. Her style is so pretty, unique and worldly. Her shop happens to be where I’m planning to buy the vintage Tiger. @ByGloriaGonzalez posts the most wonderful interiors and tabletop images.
What design “rule” do you always follow, and which is made to be broken:
I’m kind of a sucker for symmetry in a room, although that’s also the rule I wish I were better at breaking!
What are you working on right now:
We are finishing up a two-year project for a young family in Jupiter Island, my last project with Lindroth Design. The family couldn’t be nicer and more fun to work with, and their home is going to be so grand and tropical. It’s basically been a dream project! I’m also planning to start a few projects under my own name in Palm Beach that I am very excited about!
Wardrobe staples:
Anything with an Indian block print. It’s hot down here in South Florida so I’m usually in long, flowy cotton dresses.
Best interior advice you ever received:
Decorating is fun! — Dorthy Draper
Best career advice you ever received:
Recognize when it’s time to make a change and go for it.
Types of home purchases you invest in, and save on:
Good upholstery! You can have it forever and continue to reinvent your look by re-covering it in new fabrics. I tend to save on carpets and use a lot of natural sisals, seagrass and jute rugs. They can work in so many different interiors.
Your greatest extravagance:
Custom drapery and lampshades.
Favorite places to shop for home:
I love all of the vintage stores around Palm Beach, you can always find unique treasures!
Most prized possession and why:
My husband and I commissioned Sally King Benedict to do a painting for us inspired by the colors and views in our first apartment on Piedmont Park in Atlanta. It was our first anniversary gift to one another, and has been in a prominent spot in all our living rooms ever since. We move homes next week, and I’ll need to find the perfect spot for it again!
Your interiors motto:
Don’t overthink your decorating decisions.
Your life motto:
What you focus on is what you will feel in life.
Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:
Take note of what you love and tend to gravitate towards over and over again.
It’s also ok to have different styles for different homes / settings. There are so many good ideas and interior styles out there. Don’t be too rigid about setting one particular look.
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food: Mexican
Drink: A spicy margarita
Film: Best in Show
Hotel: The Surf Club in Miami
City: New York City
Bedding: Crisp Matouk Percale white sheets
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Iced coffee with almond milk
Playlist: I love old music: James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, etc.
Weekend Activity: Going to the beach with my husband, Austin and son, Charlie!
Design Book: Decorating the Way I See It by Markham Roberts. I always seem to go back to this one for inspiration! He’s just so good.
