It’s the 1984 Olympics Opening Ceremony, you’re in an open-air stadium in Los Angeles surrounded by thousands of screaming fluffy-haired fans. Onstage, amongst a sea of dancers clad in white and tight aerobics wear, is a legend in the flesh. He’s wearing crisp white pants and an intensely royal blue sequin jacket emblazoned with the words ‘All Night Long.’ It’s Lionel Richie.
Fast forward to the present, 24 years later, and we find ourselves in the middle of Richie’s art-filled Beverly Hills dining room. He walks in, to our surprise, in an updated bomber version of that very same sequin jacket that’s so burned into our brains—complete with the song title on the back, of course. Yes, we somehow managed to play it cool.
When he wasn’t telling us why his washroom is the sanctuary he never wants to leave (it’s bigger than our apartments, has a couch and its very own patio) or raving about his love of coffee (the cappuccinos at his place rival that of your favorite coffee shop), Richie was helping us refuel with his blueberry protein shake—laughing as he handed them to us, saying, “That’ll be $49.50 each.” Not all that far-fetched, if you ask us.
That wasn’t his only sanctuary; just let him show you his tricked-out recording studio, and he’ll geek out over all of its features—and yes, it’s even outfitted with a green screen. But Richie has a new venture outside of music; Lionel Richie Home, a collection of bedding and bath towels, which launched last week at JCPenney. As Richie sprawled out amongst a chic black quilt from his namesake line, he recounted his favorite memories of his late friend, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. His Michael impression is dead on.
It was time to make our way to the closet. We found ourselves in a world of bespoke sequin and embroidered jackets and pants, adidas tracksuits, and black, well, everything. You could say it’s his uniform—we counted 15-20 of the same Anthony Thomas Melillo black tees. It was all the inspiration we needed to start decorating Richie’s sprawling estate with his go-to vintage Jean Paul Gaultier, John Varvatos, Acne, and Chrome Hearts pieces.
Click through the below to hear more about Richie’s foray into home decor, how he avoids running into his children at the club, and how he keeps his hair looking like *that*.
