Becky Miller had a problem. The Denver native, interior designer, and real estate agent was obsessed with New York City’s ABC Carpet & Home, the legendary six-story home-decor mecca in the Flatiron District—but it’s more than 1,700 miles away. “I could get lost in that store for hours, and I thought, Why doesn’t Denver have anything like that?” she says. Now, thanks to Miller, it does. In November, she opened Modern Nomad in a 5,500-square-foot, barrel-roofed former auto body shop in RiNo. Seven skylights illuminate the space, where, just as at ABC, multiple vendors are assembled—including LaLovely Vintage, Homefill, and Colfax favorite Mod Livin’s new outpost.

Owner Becky Miller. Photo by Rebecca Stumpf

Miller’s curated section of the store (called Modern Nomad Home), a sweeping, 2,200 square feet, is chockablock with home accessories from all across the globe, many of them inspired by her time spent living in Copenhagen. “It really influenced my design, and ironically that’s where the whole bohemian thing came to me,” she says of the Danish design mecca. “There were beautiful girls wearing Levis, cowboy boots, and Bedouin bangles. They had Moroccan wedding blankets in 1992, before anyone else had seen them. People think about Danish modern all the time, but there are so many layers.”

5280 Home June/July 2018
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Photo by Rebecca Stumpf

Among the boho wares that fill Miller’s shop are things you’d be hard-pressed to find without digging out your passport and buying an extortionate plane ticket. Among them: sculptural crocheted pendant lights woven by female artisans in the foothills of Morocco’s Atlas Mountains and handwoven Masana wool rugs from South Africa. “This is such a statement rug,” Miller says of the latter. “You could spend twice as much at West Elm, and everyone’s going to have that same thing.”

Photo by Rebecca Stumpf

The openness of the store’s architecture seems to have rubbed off on the shopkeepers, who host pop-up events there nearly every weekend. “I don’t want it to be intimidating,” Miller says of the vibe. “It’s so approachable when you come meet everyone; they’re so friendly that people come in and stay for an hour.” No trip to the Big Apple required.