A Line Muses: Duet Design Group
A Cherry Creek Fashion Brand Partnership
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ESTHER LEE LEACH
STYLED BY MANDI AMATO // MAKEUP BY KATIE KLEIN
CLOTHING: A LINE BOUTIQUE
Cherry Creek Fashion: Duet Design Group is well known in the market for beautiful interiors. Tell us about your background and how you got to where you are today?
Miranda Cullen: I’m a Southern Californian native turned Coloradoan 13 years ago. My husband and I have been together 25 years and have 2 teens, Reagan 16, and Jonah 15. I’ve been designing since I was 8, when I put together a collage of my “future life” including the house I would live in and what all of the furniture would look like. I still have the book I put together! I studied Interior Design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and have been doing what I love for 25 years now. It was a big year for me when I was 21. I landed my first design job and met my future husband within months of each other.
Devon Tobin: I am a fourth-generation Colorado native. Something that is both uncommon and makes me proud! I love most things “Colorado”, skiing, camping, music festivals, binge-watching on Netflix, and hanging out with my small group of close friends, and big family. I am one of four children, and I have the rare blessing of living this life as an identical twin. I have always been a Type-A creative. I am obsessive-compulsive and organized but see the world through a very different rainbow-colored lens. I have a BFA from the University of Colorado in Boulder, where I studied both painting and art history, and then continued my education by earning another BA in Interior Design at the Art Institute of Colorado. I am a mother of two young boys, Gunnar, my six-year-old, and Finnley who is three. I met my amazing Renaissance husband, Caleb, who is both a Licensed Architect and now Construction Attorney while working together at an Architectural firm nearly twelve years ago.
CCF: Why did you two create Duet Design Group, and what do you love most about working in interior design?
MC: Devon and I were introduced by a client ten years ago! Our 10-year anniversary is July 2021. It was our first total collaboration, and we did not even know each other when it happened. The client had originally hired the firm Devon worked for and when that did not work out, hired me to finish the project. When our client, who adored us both, suggested we meet, we did, and that is how we formed Duet Design Group. It was our first project and publication together.
CCF: Describe how you were first introduced to A Line.
DT: I personally prefer shopping small and local. Growing up in Colorado we lacked the fashion-forward lines that A Line carries. I stumbled upon their original Cherry Creek boutique nearly five years ago, and never looked back!
MC: Devon told me of this epic boutique that she found, and I was smitten from there. I love Mandy, our stylist. She is amazing!!
CCF: What makes A Line such a special place to shop and how does the boutique style you for your lifestyle, career and this ‘new normal’?
MC: It is all about the experience, and that is something that we really appreciate. From the champagne offering the moment you walk into the store, to the custom “pre-pull” that is done for us prior to arrival. All is fantastic, and everyone is so attentive when you are shopping.
DT: Our stylists Mandy and Emily are constantly texting us new arrivals and trying to get a pulse on what it is that we might need to add to our wardrobes. Both of our styles are all over the place so it’s really about the mood we are in while shopping.
CCF: How would you describe your style and where do you find style inspiration?
MC: My style is classic with an edgy vibe. I am open to just about anything. I love to follow all the fashion brands on social media. I find tons of inspiration there as well as fashion magazines. We are designers so we still love to have a tactile experience while browsing through a magazine. We have creative mood boards throughout our offices that have interiors and fashion that play off each other so that is another way we are constantly evolving in what inspires us.
DT: I would describe my style as refined bohemian. I love bell-bottom jeans mixed with a tailored blazer. Or a flowy short dress combined with an epic leather coat. I am very petite (opposite Miranda) so while I too adore most things, I struggle to find pieces that compliment my figure, without overpowering me. I am constantly seeking inspiration through various social media platforms, browsing through catalogs, and travel (pre-covid days obviously).
CCF: Is there any crossover for you between your interior design style and your wardrobe style? How do the two overlap for you personally?
MC: It’s funny that we would tell you that our styles are completely different, but we tend to like similar things. We have found, that unbeknownst to us, we might select a fabric or art piece that the other one has but apply it differently in our personal homes. It’s kind of fun to see how different applications make a piece sing in different spaces. As for fashion, this is why A Line is great; When we walk in we say “if Devon (or Miranda) has it please don’t put it in our dressing room.” Because we have had moments in the past where one of us walks in and has something on that the other owns…makes it a bit of Russian Roulette when you travel together making sure you do not come downstairs wearing the same thing!
CCF: With people being home now more than ever this past year, what changes have you seen in the interior design industry and how Duet adapted?
DT: The past year has been very eye-opening for us and our industry. While we all braced for a downturn in our business, what we did not expect was to have so many clients call us to help them either modify their existing spaces or design a newly purchased home because they relocated due to a variety of different reasons. We feel blessed that we have been able to create jobs during this pandemic and in turn, help all of our clients fine-tune their spaces so they are both functional and beautiful.
CCF: Do you have any Spring home design and decorating tips for our readers?
MC: Coming from California I never knew what “Spring Fever” really meant, living in Colorado I get it now. I love being able to take advantage of outdoor spaces. Potting flowers, planting the garden, and pulling the patio covers off. I love a great front door wreath and incorporating fresh-cut flowers throughout my home. Take the time to bring fresh nature into the interior of your home to give it some life, I find I stop and smell the flowers a bit more when I have them throughout the house.
DT: Plant exterior perennials that you can enjoy outside, as well as cut and place throughout your entire home. Weekly fresh flowers gracing your dining table or living room cocktail table is a special treat, and even more fulfilling when they come straight out of your own garden!
Duet Design Group: @duetdesigngroup
Photographer: @estherleeleach
A Line: @alineboutique
Stylist: @mandi_alineboutique
Makeup: @makeupbykatieklein