Local designer launches jungle-inspired rug collection.
Atlanta designer Kevin Francis O’Gara founded his eponymous product studio in 2018 at just 21 years old. He began with the Labyrinth Collection that featured wool and bamboo silk rugs inspired by the gardens at the Château de Villandry in France. O’Gara’s latest rug launch, the Panthera Collection, debuted in late 2024 and was born from a love of the jungle. Here, O’Gara shares more about the inspiration behind his latest offering.
What inspired your latest rug launch?
The Panthera Collection is inspired by this timeless animal print and the classic leopard rugs in my house growing up in Buckhead. Still, I wanted to bring something to market that I hadn’t seen before: unique, saturated colorways in a smaller-scale pattern that complements any space with a durable, hand-looped construction that doesn’t shed.
What makes the collection unique?
This collection took a long time to develop with my production team in India because I wanted to bring exciting colorways to the market, and I’m so excited about how they turned out. The tone-on-tone design has a color-drenched look that makes a chic foundation for a room, combined with a super timeless pattern.
Where do you foresee these rugs working best?
I originally designed the green colorway to go in my living room, and with two dogs at home, I worked on a new construction for my line that would provide more durability, no shedding and stain resistance. While my silk maze rugs are not as suitable for high-traffic areas, this design can go anywhere in the home. The hand-looped nylon is super dense and comfortable underfoot, and hasn’t shown any wear from my dogs’ constant play!
In what size are these rugs available?
The rugs are available in five standard sizes and colorways, but as with all my collections, they can be completely customized to fit my customers’ needs. I love working with my clients to custom color-match rugs to a fabric or wallpaper in their room.
What other projects do you have in the works this year?
I’m excited to be working on my first flatweave rug design this year that’s very fun. It’s inspired by a modern artist [Josef Albers] I love.
KEVIN FRANCIS DESIGN
kevinfrancisdesign.com
@kevinfrancisdesign
