Monstrous from a certain point of view, but whimsical from another, Marco Oggian’s Monster Carpets for Milan-based Qeeboo are equal parts shock and awe, with a good dose of out-of-the-box playfulness thrown in for good measure.

These are clever interpretations of the classical, if passé, motif of the live animal rug. Oggian’s oeuvre pays homage to animals that have been killed in the name of outlandish decoration: the roster includes an Italian tiger, a big bear, a blue panther, a pink crocodile, and the enigmatic “Kinotto,” which appears to be some sort of Day of the Dead bear-wolf hybrid.

The mystery here is precisely the point. Oggian and Qeeboo seem made for each other, grounded, as both entities are, in creative exploration and individual expression of the surrounding environment. Better said, both embrace the way imagination can take supposed reality and turn it into exuberant and meaningful expression.

The Monster carpet collection captures this kind of color in both the literal and figurative senses of the term: “harnessing a twist of pop, wonder, and culture to instill a sense of surprise, while still maintaining rigorous attention to details and high quality.”

Read more at Qeeboo and Marco Oggian.