Lionel Richie’s creativity knows no bounds. The 66-year-old multi-hyphenate — he’s a singer, songwriter, musician, producer and actor — recently expanded the breadth of his empire with the Feb. 1 launch of The Lionel Richie Home Collection (from $56 to $1,500).
“I want something that’s going to make a statement in design — classic contemporary is the best way I would describe it,” Richie says of the collection, which includes dinnerware, barware, glassware and other tabletop accessories and is influenced by his love of art, travel and collecting. LR Studio, an extension of the collection for the hospitality industry, also launched this month. And debuting in the spring is LR Loft, a more youthful, colorful collection.
“Home design has been a passion of mine forever,” says Richie. “The idea [of launching a home collection] has been percolating for about six or seven years.”
The Post caught up with Richie — who darts between his 1920s Cape Cod-style home in Alabama and his 1929 Beverly Hills estate, both sources of inspiration — to get his take on all things design and entertaining.
I have three main rules for entertaining. Number one, you’ve got to have a group of interesting people. You want people who can mingle with each other, and who think that everybody else in the room is fascinating. Number two, there must be great food. Number three, great presentation.
When it comes to presentation when entertaining, it all depends on the moment. There are some nights you want to play dress up, and there are some you want to scale down. But it all depends on presentation. Down to the glasses, candlelighting, candle smell, aroma in the room, dimness of the lights, to the music — that is all part of the story. Also, personally, I like having [place]mats because they dress the plate. And cloth napkins — always.
I do have a favorite flower: peonies. I love the look of them. I like their form and how the flower presents itself in a room. Peonies have volume. They are pink and white, and believe me, those are the two colors that make a room look elegant. As for display, they should be placed on the table, and high, so that the the flowers become a part of the ‘skyline’ of the table.
The Middle East has influenced me the most, design-wise. Abu Dhabi and Dubai: I love the elegance of Abu Dhabi’s Gulf-front Corniche Road and the ornate details of its Emirates Palace hotel. In Europe, Paris’ Palais Garnier and Louvre courtyard are definite favorites. I love the patterned tiles found in Spain, as well as the grand villas along the shores of Lake Como.
My kids describe my house as a ‘museum.’ My Beverly Hills home is an eclectic place where I have everything from a [Jean-Michel] Basquiat on one side to a Banksy and an [Andy] Warhol on another side. I also have a [Claude] Monet and a Damien Hirst.
The time periods that most turns me on are the 1920s and 1930s. That was the time when grand was grand. The designers oozed elegance; they were over-the-top decadent. When they had a party, it was done to the nines.
My job is to make that period come alive and reimagine it in 2016.
My house in Alabama is on the ground of Tuskegee University, and was given to me by my grandmother. It’s from the 1920s. It’s a wonderful country home, down-home living. There are oil paintings by Dr. George Washington Carver.