It started a while ago when Benjamin Moore teamed up with Pottery Barn. As you flip through seasonal catalogs by Pottery Barn (and now Pottery Barn Kids as well), you can see what Benjamin Moore paint colors have been paired with the latest fabrics and furniture. Pottery Barn benefits because it offers another service to its consumers ... which increases the likelihood that the consumer will be able to create a dynamite room ... which increases the likelihood that the consumer will come back for more. Benjamin Moore benefits from the massive publicity that Pottery Barn generates with its catalogs and in-store fan decks ... which, in turn, sells more paint. Brilliant!
Well, I'm obviously not the only one who thought so. About a month ago, I learned about the partnership of Robert Allen and Sherwin-Williams. As the press release explains, "a suggested palette of complementary Sherwin-Williams colors will be included in the new Robert Allen Color Library upholstery and multipurpose fabric collection books, making color selection quicker and easier for designers coordinating fabric and wall hues. ... Forty Sherwin-Williams colors will be suggested for Robert Allen’s new spring fabric lines: Hydrangea, Tulip, Terrain, and Leaf. A palette of 10 coordinating hues will be highlighted on a color card for each collection, featuring both neutrals and vibrant accent colors." Check out the pairings here.
Now I've learned that Christopher Peacock Paint has teamed up with Schumacher to offer a coordinated collection of wallcoverings and paint. As the press release explains, "each of the selected [paint] shades was determined by its relationship to its application as well as the gentle sun washed colorways in the Greenhouse Collection" by Schumacher. Check out the pairings here.
So what do I make of this? It's interesting because the Benjamin Moore-Pottery Barn collaboration seems targeted to the consumer, but the newer collaborations are meant to assist the designers. I suppose the rationale is that designers might be more willing to select their fabric or wallcovering if it's easier to choose the coordinating paint? I'm not sure that this will be as much of a runaway success as the Benjamin Moore and Pottery Barn pairing, but hey, it's worth a try!