Inside Life of Riley
Deep Ellum furniture and gift shop shows Dallas how to live the good life
Life of Riley opened this summer along now-hot Main Street in Deep Ellum, offering an assortment of furnishings, home decor, art and gifts that suits the neighborhood. Co-owners Billy Milner, an interior designer, and Jerod Dame have created a spot where shoppers can score unique furniture designed by Milner himself and the accompanying accoutrements befitting the fabulous life of the fictional Riley, whose visage appears throughout the space.
Even though Riley bears a striking resemblance to Milner, he promises he was not the artist’s inspiration.
Billed as a “lifestyle store,” Life of Riley uses cozy vignettes to show buyers how these home goods can look in their own abodes. Anchoring the selection are “polished industrial” tables — coffee, end and console — fabricated with vintage pieces such as lockers and Japanese screens. An assortment of upholstered furniture includes chairs made by local company Design Legacy, as well one-of-a-kind sofas and love seats created using vintage Goodwill suits and denim.
Among the gifts are several candle lines, in myriad vessels and scents, most notably a Life of Riley line comprising signature fragrances. Wall decor ranges from works from local artists to vintage European maps, which Milner has been passionately collecting for years.
Need an inspired storage solution? Then check out the vintage suitcases, which Milner uses in his own home, located nearby, for stashing his many treasures.
In the above video, Milner takes us around the store to see what the Life of Riley is all about.