Lowe’s launches exclusive paint lines to celebrate 100 years in business

Consumers spending more time at home during the pandemic have been looking to improve their in-home experience, and Lowe’s has been actively looking for ways to help, particularly through private brands and exclusives.

The retailer announced last week that it acquired the Stainmaster brand — rolling it into its private brand portfolio and looking to expand it into other categories beyond flooring — and today it has debuted an exclusive line of paint in honor of fashion icon Iris Apfel, as well as curated room designs that feature some private brand product as chosen by Apfel.

The Apfel collaboration is the first of what Lowe’s is calling the House of Curators, a dedicated section on the Lowe’s site that will feature designers curating looks and products.

The move aligns with Lowe’s earlier program that had curated room looks tied to New York Fashion Week, which also showcased some of its own brand products under the brands Harbor Breeze, Project Source, allen + roth and more.

Apfel turns 100 years old just as Lowe’s is celebrating its 100th year in business, and to reflect the milestone, key to the Apfel curations will be Lowe’s first-ever Centennial Color Palette, featuring exclusive paint colors from Valspar and Sherwin Williams, which look back at quintessential shades from each decade to inspire consumers to use the colors in new and modern ways. The retailer said colors include vibrant blues and reds of the 1920s or the relaxed earth tones of the 1970s. Additionally, Apfel also curated her own personal paint palette for additional inspiration. 

The Apfel room curations themselves are featured in a Lowe’s lookbook and online. They include: 

• Palm Beach in Your Backyard — an outdoor space filled with tropical plants, patio items and opulent pops of color that were inspired by Apfel's time in Palm Beach; 
• Modern Maximalism —  an embrace of Apfel’s “more is more and less is a bore” looks; 

• Statement Making Style — a room that mixes colors, textures and patterns as a self-expression, statement with eclectic furniture and Iris’s signature paint palette; and
• Centennial Color Palette: A curation dedicated to the color trends of the last 100 years as well as Apfel’s creations.  

"I’ve always believed that one of the most important elements of home design is letting yourself shine. For me, that means experimenting with unapologetic colors, eye-catching patterns and being totally original,” said Apfel. “As Lowe's and I both celebrate our centennial birthdays, I hope we keep inspiring people to be bold and take chances on style for the next one hundred years.”