Lionel Richie, Nicole Richie, Joel Madden, Benji Madden

Entertaining has now taken on new meaning for one of the world’s most iconic and versatile performers

by Laura D.C. Kolnoski

Audiences watching Lionel Richie participate in his own all-star tribute performance during this year’s Grammy Awards might be surprised to learn the music industry legend had just made another debut—in his Beverly Hills home, and surrounded by family and friends.

Officially launched during a dinner party in January, the Lionel Richie Home Collection gained instant media attention, much of it describing Richie’s lifelong penchant for interior design and décor. Because, when he’s not dancing on the ceiling, the Tuskegee, Alabamaborn star is often setting the stage and the table as host. To him, the new line of dinnerware, barware, entertaining accessories, vases, candles, and more is simply a synergy of songwriting creativity, international travel, and passion for design.

“I’m telling a story about life, family, and home,” explained Richie, an art collector, avid gardener, and family man. “I’ve spent most of my life traveling around the world. My home line is timeless, passionate, elegant…[because] an evening of entertaining is a show; if you do it right, everyone will walk away saying what a fabulous time they had.”

The performer grew up in his family home on the campus of Tuskegee University in Alabama, where he eventually enrolled and formed a Motown singing group with fellow students who would become the legendary Commodores. While Richie was always driven by his love of music, the cultured environment in which he was raised brought its own style.

“My mother and grandmother had amazing taste,” he recalled. “Early on I was exposed to everything from ballet to the symphony to fine foods. They loved the style of the 1920s and 30s.” Richie’s appreciation for beautiful objects and home furnishings became more apparent during his travels with the Commodores. On the road, he dined in myriad settings—from royal palaces to the finest hotels and restaurants, and today, at both his residence in Beverly Hills and in the Tuskegee family home he still owns, he takes pride in curating a design aesthetic he characterized as “fabulous warmth.”

Richie created his new products along with Impulse! International designs, a manufacturer of hospitality accessories for food, beverage, and guest room operations at luxury hotels, resorts, restaurants, and night clubs in over 40 countries.
Together, they developed a line that combined bold patterns with clean lines, including a wide range of bone china dinnerware in six different motifs (Riviera, Regal, Geneva, Versailles, London, and Milano) designed to be mixed and matched. There’s also crystal barware in four styles that complement the dinnerware, along with an assortment of decorative glass vessels in varied sizes, such as the Firenze vase, the Jardin Sphere, and the Sunset votive, with prices ranging from $24 to $1,370. The home line is expanding, too, to include richly textured leather accessories such as the Moscow Ice Bucket and Sorrento Tray, as well as a selection of fragrant candles.

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The January launch was attended by 35 guests including Richie’s daughter Nicole, her husband Joel Madden, brother-in-law Benji Madden, and friend Kevin Spacey. Dinner was served on the Collection’s bone china in white and gold.

In describing his approach to design and the introduction of his first home collection, Richie cites parallel similarities between show business and his passion for celebrating all things domestic.

“I’m in the business of songwriting,” he observed. “Songwriting is a thread. There’s a big difference between a fad and forever. I’m not trying to design a fad. I’m trying to design a timeless collection that will be around every year for rest of your life.” He added that he aspires to seek out what he called “the thread of forever” in the products, and that, just like his music, they will evolve.

And it will. This spring, LR Loft will launch, featuring colorful, pop-culture driven capsule collections geared towards a younger demographic. His new LR Studio lines for the hospitality trade, with fully customizable dinnerware collections for restaurants and hotels, will also soon be unveiled.

The four-time Grammy winner has sold more than 100 million albums and is also the recipient of an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award. His 1986 Best Original Song Oscar for “Say You, Say Me,” from the film White Nights (starring Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines), was presented by Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly, and Donald O’Connor. The same night, and in the same category, Richie was nominated for writing the lyrics to “Miss Celie’s Blues” from The Color Purple, written by Quincy Jones.

Richie was also honored as the 2016 MusiCares Person of the Year in February at a ceremony in Los Angeles during Grammy Week. Established in 1989 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, MusiCares provides a safety net of assistance for musicians and other music industry professionals in times of need, offering a wide range of help in the event of financial, medical and personal emergencies.

On the big night, seated at the awards ceremony in front of Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson, Richie grinned, watched,

“I’m not trying to design a fad,” Richie said of his line of home products. “I’m trying to design a timeless collection that will be around every year for rest of your life.”

and bopped in his seat before taking the stage to rock out with John Legend, Demi Lovato, Luke Bryan, Tyrese, and Meghan Trainor in a rousing rendition of “All Night Long,” a song that experienced a resurgence when he re-recorded it with tropical troubadour Jimmy Buffett in 2012.

Richie is also set for the Las Vegas headlining residency show, Lionel Richie – All the Hits at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, starting on April 27. Performances run through May, with a return engagement in September and October.

LIONEL RICHIE HOME
lionelrichiehome.com / @lionelrichiehome