Flexsteel sets Christopher Lowell line
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, September 30, 2001
DUBUQUE, Iowa — Flamboyant Christopher Lowell, once dubbed the "Design Guru in a Dress," is preparing for a new role with Flexsteel Inds.
The popular host of his own TV show on The Discovery Channel will debut his first furniture line at the October market. It's Flexsteel's first licensed collection and a new style direction for the upholstery major, which is aiming to broaden its consumer base.
Lowell promises the upholstery will be comfortable and functional. "Our furniture line is based on how furniture works in a room," he said. He brings years of design experience, research and showmanship to the task.
Lowell's broad new upholstery collection is decidedly transitional. That's a notable change for Flexsteel, which is best known for its traditional upholstery styles.
"A different chef is in the kitchen," said Keith Feuerhaken, vice president of sales.
More than 50 pieces of upholstery will debut, all with a full range of pre-coordinated covers. Fabric sofas will begin at $999 retail; leather sofas will retail at $1,999.
The collection brings some new pieces to Flexsteel, such as "backless sofas" that Lowell says work in tandem with other upholstery pieces. Those are the kinds of pieces that Lowell had a hard time finding, and that's one of the reasons why he wanted his own furniture line.
Each of the four major style categories — Town, Country, City and Shore — has its own set of color-coordinated cover packages. Each package offers eight fabrics, one leather and one faux suede. There are more than 200 SKUs in the cover program.
The colors are textured and muted, an approach Lowell says keeps the furniture from becoming dated. It's also an approach that sets the collection apart from the prints and patterns that are the staples of many traditional upholstery lines, Flexsteel's included.
That's by design. The company is reaching out to new consumer segments with the collection. "We really think we can reach a younger customer that we don't have now," Feuerhaken said.
Lowell, who will be in the Flexsteel showroom at market, is an animated, energetic TV star (real name: Richard Lowell Madden) who has achieved cult status with followers by dispensing a unique blend of design know-how, campy theatrics and personal empowerment. He begins his TV show with a skit, playing characters as diverse as Scarlett O'Hara, Martha Stewart and Judge Judy. (He confines his dress wearing to roles like those.)
The humor has a serious purpose, Lowell said. He knows that his design shows must be entertaining. But he's especially proud of their motivational and educational nature. His aim is to give millions of consumers the confidence and expertise to improve the furnishings in their homes.
"The Christopher Lowell Show" draws about 1 million viewers, primarily women in the 25 to 54 age bracket. The show, in its seventh season, is shot in a ranch-style house at Universal Studios.
He came up with the "Christopher" in his professional name because he loved the Christopher Robin character in A.A. Milne's classic "Winnie-the-Pooh," which his mother read to him so often he could recite it from memory.
Lowell's career included stints as a theater set designer, an actor, and as the creative director of his own advertising agency.
He will make a variety of appearances for Flexsteel, and is also designing the point-of-sale materials for the furniture collection, which includes video appearances by Lowell.
| Lowell |
| The Decotta club chair in Flexsteel's Christopher Lowell Home Collection offers several comfortable seating surfaces, giving it added design flexibility. |
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