Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond Debuts New Bedding and Bath Line at Walmart.
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Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond is a multifaceted talent known not only for her hit TV show on the Food Network, but also for her magazine and Walmart cookware collections. Her fans have been welcoming Drummond's signature bright floral products into their kitchens since 2015, but with the launch of her bedding and bath line to ubiquitous retailers, the same look can now be incorporated into other rooms of the house.
The design of these products reflects the successful entrepreneur's vibrant personality, which really shined through in our recent interview with her. She was generous and opened up about not only her favorite products and styling tips, but also the best thing happening to her during the pandemic and the future of her TV show.
Amanda Lauren: You do a lot of things, including a thriving line of kitchen products for Walmart, a show on the Food Network, and a magazine. Why create a bed and bath line with Walmart now?
Ree Drummond: The homeware line started in the kitchen. It was all inspired by prints and patterns I had in my kitchen, like my mix-and-match napkin drawer and my cabinet of random dishes I've collected over the years.
So after launching my kitchenware line, it made sense to take the same approach to incorporating a little pop of color and a little floral print around the house. Beds and baths are obvious candidates for that type of thing. You can go all out and have a big floral explosion in your bedroom, or you can keep it neutral with a nice white background and throw in a beautiful floral quilt or pillowcase.
scalloped edge printed bedding
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Lauren: When I look at your product line, especially your cookware, a lot of the items look like things you could buy at a high-end antique store or estate sale, but they come from Walmart.
Drummond: When I first launched my line in 2015, one of my main patterns was called Flea Market because I didn't want every item in the collection to match. One of my favorites of his is an old photo of a measuring cup drawer from the early 2000s. Half of the cup was ceramic. Others came from estate and garage sales. That's exactly the vibe I was going for.
Lauren: You mean Oklahoma?
Drummond: I wouldn't say that. It's so funny, when I was about my sophomore year in college, Adrian Vittadini was just an amazing designer (I loved wearing them), and all of her pieces were bright and bold, with traditional vintage florals. It looked like. When I say floral, I mean knit shorts with the same floral pattern and a matching knit top. I've always been drawn to it.
Lauren: Do you have any tips for decorating different products?
Drummond: I create collections based on different prints. But my intention has always been for people who purchase Pioneer Woman products to create their own collection. You can take a quilt of one print and layer it on a blanket of another pattern.
Beautifully layered Pioneer Woman bed
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So my advice is to not necessarily stick to one collection and one print. In Oklahoma, we often layer our bedding this time of year. There are sheets, blankets, and a comforter and quilt at the end of the bed. Because we don't know when the temperature here will reach zero. So I love the idea of everyone finally having their own unique assortment.
pioneer woman shower curtain
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Stay true to what you love. If you have a neutral space, add bright floral towels and bright bath mats. But leave everything else soft and neutral.
Over the years, Pioneer Woman collectors have posted numerous photos showing how they decorate their spaces. It runs the gamut. There is an all-white kitchen with a bright floral toaster. And the harvest table with all the different patterns of tableware and all the napkins and tablecloths provided by Pioneer Woman. It's a lot of fun because it requires a lot of creativity and personal expression.
Lauren: One thing I've noticed about your brand overall is that everything is so accessible, especially the recipes. Anyone can make it, and the materials are available to most people. So I think it's natural for us to partner with Walmart, which is known for its accessibility. What was it like working with them?
Drummond: It was really great. When it comes to having a retail partner with the experience and capabilities, you can't beat Walmart. I grew up in Oklahoma, so I'm a true Walmart shopper and have been shopping there all my life. This is where we went to buy school supplies and cosmetics when we were little. So partnering with them was never a leap for me.
chic farmhouse
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It's the same in a sense. The reason I always wanted my recipes to be accessible was because I didn't want to share recipes that everyone would run out and not be able to make. I didn't want to include materials that would require mail order.
So I think I took the same approach to household items. I wanted to create a line that looked elevated, with the same beautiful colors, prints, and patterns you'd find in more upscale stores, but at a price point where you could collect and mix several patterns. I wanted the price to be reasonable.
Lauren: If you could only recommend two products from your product line, what would they be?
Drummond: By the way, this is like choosing a favorite child that changes every day. Start with a bath. Honestly, bath towels are great. When I first saw the samples arrive, I fainted. There's a cute colored and floral bath mat that says “Howdy” on it. I think this is the cutest bath mat I've ever seen.
alex drummond bathroom
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When it comes to cooking utensils, it's very difficult. I have one ceramic non-stick cookware set, but since I have 6 burners on the stove, I rarely clean it up. they are always there. Since this pot is used every day, I wash it and put it back immediately.
Lauren: I fell in love with your show during quarantine in 2020 and it was so funny to see your kids become the skeleton crew. Are they still filming with you?
Drummond: I think we've distilled some of the things we're grateful for over the last two years, these last two really crazy years. That was the best thing to come out of the whole coronavirus experience for me. My Food Network production company is actually in the UK. It soon became clear that they would not be able to return to the film industry for some time. But we didn't want the show to be interrupted and rebroadcast.
Food Network (suggested) sent an iPhone and handheld gimbal so the kids could try their hand at filming an episode. To be honest, we had one episode in mind. I think we've shot close to 70 episodes together now.
There are still 20 more shots left and, God willing, the British crew will be back in mid-2022 (but) I don't think we'll ever fully return to the original style of the show. I think it will be more of a hybrid. I love the old shows and have so many great memories of them. But I also like the new direction we took things.
The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.