the FRANCIS FILES
Notes on New Regency style from the studio of Kevin Francis O'Gara
The Francis Files · Color
Dark Exterior Colors on a Steel Home: What Changes When the Siding Is Steel
Dark exterior colors behave differently on a steel-framed house. The color is a coating spec chosen months early, and it has to answer for heat, glare and rippling.
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the point of view, the portfolio, the series
The point of view
New Regency Style: The Complete GuideClassical bones, committed color, and enough glamour to make a room feel like an occasion.
The portfolio
Design ProjectsClient homes and my own rooms, with every source and the reasoning behind each decision.
The series
Don't Demo, DecorateHow to update a builder-grade home without renovating, one room at a time.
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Guides · Lighting
The Best Shades for the Poldina Pro and Nevis Cordless LampsA designer ranks every real way to dress a Poldina Pro or Visual Comfort Nevis cordless lamp, from Zafferano's own shades to hand-marbled and block-printed slip-on covers, with styling notes for each.
The Francis Files
Turn a Powder Room Into a Wallpaper Jewel Box: 3 Gingham LooksA practical, design-forward guide to wallpapering a powder room: materials, installation, care, and three Austen Gingham colorways to sample before you buy.
Design Projects · Furniture
How to Furnish a Balcony That's Barely Big Enough for Two ChairsA designer's approach to furnishing a small balcony or condo terrace: what to buy, what to skip, and how to make a narrow outdoor space genuinely usable.
Design Projects · Lighting
Designing a Cafe Counter: What the Display Case Does to the RoomA designer's view of the cafe display case: how glass, lighting, sightlines, and placement decide whether the counter reads as considered or as equipment.
Design Projects · Rugs
Why Your Open-Plan Room Is So LoudEverything in this room that makes it quiet is also what makes it look finished. That is not a coincidence. People describe...
The Francis Files · Rugs
Flooring and Rugs Over Underfloor HeatingUnderfloor heating changes what you can put on the floor. That is a decision made months before the floor is chosen, and...The Francis Files letter
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I settle the specifications up front, down to grout color and fixture spacing, so crews do not stall and the room lands the way it was drawn.