Last week we attended a remarkable event in New York City hosted by Lowe’s and Valspar Paint. A select group of media were invited to a hands-on painting and design demonstration led by celebrity designer and television personality Nate Berkus.
Lowe’s and Valspar transformed a Tribeca space into a pristine white canvas that showcased vivid Valspar colors at multiple stations around the room. Arriving early gave us the chance to appreciate the dramatic contrast between the white environment and the bold paint hues on display.
Valspar arranged for Lowe’s professionals to staff each station, explaining the features of the products and demonstrating their use. One standout product was a one-coat cover-up paint we tested that effectively concealed a black wall with no transparency. Using a one-coat formula can save both time and money, making it a sensible investment for many projects.
Allen + Roth, Lowe’s private brand, offers an exclusive selection of Valspar colors available only at Lowe’s. That palette was highlighted throughout the space, and a group of artists worked on paintings using Valspar paint.
But the event’s star was Nate Berkus, who joined us for the afternoon. He shared personal insights, offered design tips, and judged several friendly competitions among attendees. Nate was gracious, personable, and naturally engaging; his presence kept the event lively and well-paced.
One highlight was seeing Laura paint a toy box while Nate worked on a painted stool. Nate selected some favorite projects to discuss, including a trash bin by Danny Seo, a chair contributed by Crystal Gentilello of Rue Magazine and Julia Walsh of CasaSugar, and a cabinet painted by Kate Riley of Centsational Girl and Melissa Michaels of The Inspired Room.
Nate also took part in a palette design contest. One of our favorite entries came from Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of Apartment Therapy, whose palette demonstrated thoughtful color pairing and strong visual impact.
Throughout the event we noticed there was no strong paint smell despite open cans being visible, which confirmed the low-odor performance Valspar advertises. The Valspar Hi-Def paint we observed is also marketed as low-VOC, an important consideration for indoor projects and for those concerned about air quality.
It was refreshing to reconnect with New York City, visit friends, and see how much the city has changed in the two years since we left. The pace of change is rapid, and we enjoyed exploring new restaurants and attempting to obtain discounted tickets for Broadway shows. We recommend dining at The Dutch in SoHo and, if possible, trying the lottery for The Book of Mormon on Broadway.
Thanks to Lowe’s, Valspar Paint, and Nate Berkus for organizing an informative and inspiring event. We will be publishing follow-up articles that include additional Valspar product details and design tips Nate shared during the demonstrations.
Below are a few photos from the event. You can view the full gallery on our Facebook page.
