Studio KO & Elte:
Inside the Process
A rug collection for the personal home of Studio KO
This spring, Karl and Olivier, the visionary duo behind Studio KO welcomed us into their Parisian apartment for an intimate design meeting.
The relationship between Studio KO and Elte started nearly a year ago, when the couple entrusted Jamie Metrick and his team to develop rugs specifically for their home in Paris.
In Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty’s Paris home, Karl shares with Jamie Metrick a book on the cave paintings of Lascaux — a source of inspiration behind the collection.
A rug sample from the collaboration sits beneath a wax-etched artwork by Olivier Marty’s late father, inspired by the cave paintings of Lascaux. The design is reinterpreted in wool, shifting from etched line to woven form.
Studio KO x Elte Rug Collaboration
This collection-in-the-making centres on a series of deeply personal rugs, each designed for a specific space in the home of Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty of Studio KO. Every piece draws inspiration from the creative forces that surround them — from father to son, from ancient art to contemporary architecture. One, for the living room, is based on a painting by Olivier’s late father, its composition echoing the cave paintings of Lascaux.
Karl Fournier and Jamie Metrick review rug samples for a hallway runner.
Another rug, designed for the bedroom, is based on a drawing by their eight-year-old son, Chrismaël. A hallway runner connects the spaces, creating continuity between the bedroom and studio. The final piece will live in their newly renovated studio – a loft enveloped in stainless steel and wood, envisioned as a place to gather, reflect, and create.
With sampling now underway, the next chapter of the collaboration will see the finished rugs photographed in the Studio KO apartment – before being made available exclusively through Elte to our community.
Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty of Studio KO, photo by Noel Manalili.
Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech, designed by Studio KO, combines brutalist geometry with Moroccan craftsmanship. Photo by Dan Glasser.
Musée Yves Saint Laurent
In 2014, Pierre Bergé personally commissioned Studio KO to design a 43,000-square-foot museum in Marrakech to honour the legacy of his late partner, Yves Saint Laurent. The Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech was met with international acclaim – cementing Studio KO’s position as one of the most quietly influential forces in global architecture today.
The minimalist clay facade is rendered in pale umber to echo the surrounding red earth. Photo by Dan Glasser.
Photo by Dan Glasser.
Villa K
Completed in 2016, Studio KO’s Villa K is a five-bedroom retreat outside Marrakech that blends minimalist architecture with traditional Moroccan building techniques, quietly echoing the tones and textures of the surrounding landscape.
Villa E blends organic materials with modern design, thoughtfully complementing the surrounding landscape. Photo by Dan Glasser.
Photo by Dan Glasser.
