How To Create One of Those Seasonal Porches or Tablescapes You See on Instagram – Charlotte Magazine

Summer Partee discovered her knack for interiors seven years ago after she left her job as a kindergarten teacher to stay home with her infant son. She used her own home as an outlet to explore her creativity and learned to refinish old furniture and spot treasures at local antique stores. Soon, her signature style emerged: a modern-farmhouse aesthetic dotted with vintage accents and a neutral palette of creams, beiges, and wood tones.

“I started sharing pictures on Instagram and used our house as a marketing tool,” she says. “A couple of people took a chance on me, and my little hobby became a job.”

Partee launched her interior design business in 2017 and added event planning to her brand a year later. Today, Summer Blaise Interiors and Events (Blaise is her middle name) handles a range of projects throughout the year, but her busiest season kicks off this month, when clients hire her to create front-porch displays and tablescapes for fall. Partee invited Charlotte Home + Garden into her Gastonia home to showcase her favorite seasonal backdrops and share some tips and tricks for recreating them at your own house.

Summer’s Tips

October Porches: “You don’t have to set up a skeleton and a jack-o’-lantern. Add greenery, woven materials, and natural elements. Everyone thinks of mums for fall, but I love playing around with different florals available at the time.”

Colors: “I love burnt orange and deep caramel colors for fall. This is something that works in my house because it has a lot of neutral tones.” 

Pumpkins: “We usually source our pumpkins from local farmers. I don’t look for bright, shiny oranges because that screams ‘fake’ to me. Heirloom pumpkins have a little more dimension and depth.”

Front Doors: “You don’t always have to do a wreath on the front door. I love doing baskets on porches to make it look more modern. The planters and pots bring in some earth tones. I like to use large, oversized planters. People tend to decorate with stuff that’s too small.” 

Tables: “With tablescapes, the biggest thing is layering. The more you layer on, the more elaborate it looks and the more cozy it makes your space feel. Mix woven and natural elements, metals, and florals and pick a color scheme that complements your whole house.” 

“I tied a bit of greenery with a ribbon to the top of the ornaments. The ornaments are actually plastic. They look like glass, but they’re shatter-proof and have champagne beads so they shine really pretty.”

Natural Resources: “I’m a big fan of buying what you need to make the design, then going outside to source things from nature to fill in the rest. We use Queen Anne’s lace, chrysanthemums, poppies, roses, ranunculus, different grasses—we even put wheat in there.”

Bargain Finds: “I find a lot of great deals on linens and plates at Amazon. Nothing like bringing Walmart into these million-dollar homes!”

Holiday Colors: “It doesn’t always have to be bright greens and reds. It can read ‘Christmas’ but doesn’t have to scream it. I’ve fallen in love with dark reds and greens for Christmas. They’re very classic but not so in-your-face.”