the FRANCIS FILES

Notes on New Regency style from the studio of Kevin Francis O'Gara

The Francis Files

Guides

The designer's version of the how-to: paint by family, finishes, rugs, lighting and the rooms they go in.

Poldina Pro vs. Pro Mini vs. Micro (and the Nevis): Which Shades Fit Which Lamp Guides · Lighting Poldina Pro vs. Pro Mini vs. Micro (and the Nevis): Which Shades Fit Which LampA two-minute fit guide to the Poldina Pro, Pro Mini, Micro and Visual Comfort Nevis: dimensions, which shade covers fit which lamp, how slip-on covers work, and how to measure the one you own.Lacquered Walls: A Designer's Guide to High Gloss Rooms Guides · Finishes Lacquered Walls: A Designer's Guide to High Gloss RoomsFlat paint sits on the wall. Lacquer pulls you in. What the finish asks of your walls before it rewards you.Five Ways to Style an Orange Pleated Lamp Shade Guides · Lighting Five Ways to Style an Orange Pleated Lamp ShadeAn apricot pleated silk shade warms a room without committing to bright color. Five rooms where I have used it, from a sunroom to a study.Designer Tips for Bookshelf Styling: The Complete Guide & Best Products Guides Designer Tips for Bookshelf Styling: The Complete Guide & Best ProductsStyled shelves look collected because they follow a method. My 70-30 rule, the step-by-step order I use, and accessories under $300 that work.The Best Navy Blue Paint Colors (And How to Use Them) Guides · Paint The Best Navy Blue Paint Colors (And How to Use Them)Navy does not need more navy. It needs something to push against. The blues I specify and what to put beside them.The Best Blush Pink Paint Colors: Grown-Up, Not Girly Guides · Paint The Best Blush Pink Paint Colors: Grown-Up, Not GirlyThe word pink scares people into greige. The right blush is one of the most flattering colors you can put in a room.How to Create a Whimsical Wildflower Table Setting Guides How to Create a Whimsical Wildflower Table SettingA wildflower table I set by the fireplace in West Midtown: colored bud vases and tapers, vintage silver, jacquard napkins and plain white china.Leopard Print Decor: The Guide to Styling Animal Prints at Home Guides · Rugs Leopard Print Decor: The Guide to Styling Animal Prints at HomeLeopard is a neutral. How to use it underfoot and in small doses without the room tipping into costume.The Best Pale Blue Paint Colors: Calm, Not Cold Guides · Paint The Best Pale Blue Paint Colors: Calm, Not ColdPale blue lives or dies on its undertone. Eight I specify, and how to read each one before you buy a gallon.How to Make Fabric Panels Using Hollow-Core Doors Guides How to Make Fabric Panels Using Hollow-Core DoorsHow I filled a tall wall in my Midtown apartment without a gallery wall: hollow-core doors wrapped in Lee Jofa Indiennes Stripe and hung on French cleats.Beautiful Boudoirs: Transitional Bedroom Rug Ideas Guides · Bedroom Beautiful Boudoirs: Transitional Bedroom Rug IdeasHow I choose a rug for a transitional bedroom, from sizing under a queen bed to materials and color, with the handmade designs I would put there.The Best Sage Green Paint Colors (Without the Minty Mistake) Guides · Paint The Best Sage Green Paint Colors (Without the Minty Mistake)The line between a dusty sage and a dentist-office mint is thinner than you think. Here is where it falls.New Regency Style: The Complete Guide to the Look I Built My Brand On New Regency New Regency Style: The Complete Guide to the Look I Built My Brand OnClassical bones, committed color, collected antiques, and enough glamour to make a room feel like an occasion.How to Care for Your Handmade Luxury Area Rug Guides · Rugs How to Care for Your Handmade Luxury Area RugHow I care for handmade rugs: weekly suction vacuuming, blotting never scrubbing, which fibers can take soap and water, and the ice cube trick for furniture dents.Impressive Entrances: Entry Hall Rug Ideas Guides · Entryway Impressive Entrances: Entry Hall Rug IdeasThe entry rug grounds the architecture before anyone takes off a coat. How I choose one for a foyer or a narrow hall.The Best Charcoal Gray Paint Colors (and How to Live With One) Guides · Paint The Best Charcoal Gray Paint Colors (and How to Live With One)Dark walls make a small room feel bigger, not smaller. The charcoals I trust, and how to live with one.Why Library Dining Rooms Are the Most Inviting Guides · Dining room Why Library Dining Rooms Are the Most InvitingA room that hosts a meal and houses a collection. Why bookshelves around a table work better than any wallpaper.Simple Fall Tablescape Ideas for Moody Autumn Entertaining Guides Simple Fall Tablescape Ideas for Moody Autumn EntertainingMy formula for a moody fall table: repeat one accent color twice, pair a loud pattern with a quiet one, and make the centerpiece a third of the table's length.Creative Striped Bathroom Tile Inspiration Guides · Bathroom Creative Striped Bathroom Tile InspirationStripes give a bathroom pattern with restraint. Ten ways to lay them, from a powder room to a primary bath.The Best White Paint Colors: 9 Designer-Approved Picks Guides · Paint The Best White Paint Colors: 9 Designer-Approved PicksJust white is never just white. Nine I have used in real rooms, and what each one does to the light.The Ultimate Light Bulb Guide Guides · Lighting The Ultimate Light Bulb GuideBulb shapes, bases, wattage and color temperature explained, and which bulbs I use in my own pendants, table lamps and bedroom fixture.How to Add a Baking Station to Your Kitchen Guides · Kitchen How to Add a Baking Station to Your KitchenA kitchen cart turned into a baking station for extra prep space, with cabinets in Behr Perennial Green, a low-commitment way to try a bold color.Hand-painted tropical wall mural with palm trees in green and white bedroom design by Kevin O'Gara on Thou Swell #wallmural #paintedmural #bedroomwall #bedroomdecor #bedroomdesign #tropicaldesign #tropicalwall #tropicalmural Guides · Bedroom Hand-Painted Tropical Wall MuralI hand-painted a palm mural in the West Midtown guest room in one day, using sample pots of Magnolia Home paint over KILZ primer. How I sketched and layered it.Styling a Cozy Fireplace With Holiday Decor Guides Styling a Cozy Fireplace With Holiday DecorHoliday styling in the West Midtown living room: a fluted electric fireplace dressed with pine garland, gold ribbon and lanterns, plus a faux fur throw on the armchair.