For many of us, 2020 has been a year primarily spent at home. Activities that would ordinarily be conducted elsewhere—work, school, exercise—are now being done in our personal sanctuaries. And those changes in behavior have likely necessitated changes in home design, prompting us to rearrange furniture or even buy new things to make home a more functional, multi-purpose space—while maintaining our personal style as much as possible, of course!
For designer Alli Devlin, the year has not only brought new habits at home, but a new home altogether. Since moving in, she’s infused the place with her signature mix of mid-century furnishings and pops of color, including a pair of Juniper Print Shop prints custom framed in our Light Walnut Gallery frames. The eye-catching abstract pieces added a dramatic flair to her dining room, where (like the rest of us) she’s spending many a date night in.
Alli Devlin posing in her gorgeous new home with one of our Juniper Print Shop pieces custom framed in a Light Walnut Gallery frame.
Alli’s Instagram feed is always full of great design tips, so we asked her a few questions about what inspires her to decorate her own space, to help the rest of us strike that ideal balance between style and function in 2020 and beyond.
Simply Framed: What guides you when selecting artwork for your home?
Alli Devlin: The color and the mood of the piece! I am most drawn to abstract art, and to visual portrayals of attitudes and scenes. The color palette of my home is black, tan, white, and jewel tones—and most of the jewel tones come from art and textiles. I also like to seek out independent artists, and I frequent marketplaces like Minted and Etsy to find art that feels unique and original to our home.
SF: What are your best pieces of advice for decorating a home?
AD: Remember to shop small in addition to shopping big—and don’t be afraid to inquire about custom projects! Some of the best furnishings and fixtures in my home are from small shops, where the prices were surprisingly the same if not lower than in big stores, for the same or better quality. Many small shops and independent makers are happy to customize sizes, details, colors, or finish choices so that you get exactly what you want for your home.
Juniper Print Shop’s Dash I and Dash II in Light Walnut Gallery in Alli’s dining room.
SF: Has the way you’ve decorated or organized your space changed at all since the Covid-19 pandemic?
AD: We actually moved into our home just a few months before stay-at-home orders went into effect. So we’d already planned to have this be a year of home renovations, decorating, and getting organized in our new place. Even without the pandemic, we probably would have spent most weekends at home, powering through home projects. So in that way, things haven’t really changed.
If you’re also spending this time at home making your space more comfortable, you’ve likely got some art to custom frame. Get started at simplyframed.com.
