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Ruggable and The Local Project Launch Rug Collaboration with Three Australian Designers
In a celebration of Australian design, Ruggable and The Local Project have joined forces to collaborate with three leading unique local voices to create a series of bold, luxurious rugs.
The Local Project and rug brand Ruggable have come together to launch a new collection of rugs by three leading Australian studios. Releasing this month, the Ruggable x The Local Project partnership marks the former’s first local design collaboration, and features exclusive pieces by AKI Design, Brahman Perera and Tom Mark Henry.
“The Ruggable x The Local Project collection is a considered celebration of Australian design, brought to life on a global stage,” says Aidan Anderson, The Local Project’s founder and CEO. “In collaboration with AKI Design, Brahman Perera and Tom Mark Henry, the partnership translates a distinctly local design sensibility into a tactile and approachable collection, where thoughtful design meets everyday living.”
Ruggable’s machine-washable, non-slip and stain-resistant ranges reflect the brand’s philosophy – that rugs should suit your lifestyle, not the other way around. With durability and ease of care at their core, the rugs offer a versatile foundation for expressive interiors, a quality echoed in the 10 striking designs in the Ruggable x The Local Project collaboration. Each studio brings a distinct vision that reflects the richness and diversity of contemporary Australian design.
“The common thread that runs through our pieces in this collection is the linework and the architectural element that we’ve brought through.”
For AKI Design, led by Charis James and daughters Candyce and Tessa, the collection continues the studio’s exploration of materiality and architectural craft. Drawing inspiration from sculptural forms encountered during their travels in Milan, AKI’s three pieces – Aldo, Corso and Scala – embody a focus on timelessness and the interplay between history, architecture and design.
“The common thread that runs through our pieces in this collection is the linework and the architectural element that we’ve brought through,” says Candyce. Adds Tessa: “What we try to create in all of our designs is a really strong sense of something feeling new, but also lived in. With this collection, we really wanted to feel like it had been in your home forever.”
Melbourne-based interior designer Brahman Perera brings his signature layering of texture, colour and narrative to the collection with the Golden Marigold, Temple Silhouette, Fluttering Carnations and Ceylon Soft Sapphire rugs. Referencing his Sri Lankan heritage and the expressive linework of artists like Matisse, his designs incorporate botanical motifs and abstract compositions, pieces designed to ground and elevate interior spaces.
“As an interior designer, I was thinking a lot about the composition,” says Perera. “The rugs don’t solely exist as pieces of art, though that’s how we’ve reimagined them. I have to think about the fact that they’ll be populated with a landscape of furniture, so how we’ve drawn the designs and shaped them on the rugs to create landing zones for furniture is part of how they developed.”
Founded by Cushla McFadden and Jade Nottage, Tom Mark Henry channels the laid-back Australian lifestyle, drawing inspiration from art, travel and the natural landscape. Its three designs for the collaboration – Boulder, Dune and Tierra – play with sculptural neutrals, sunbaked tones and playful forms to strike a balance between ease and impact in a distinctly contemporary way.
“We’re always excited to collaborate with brands that align with us creatively, and we felt like Ruggable was the perfect fit,” says McFadden. “Tom Mark Henry has a deep love of design and a desire to produce really striking spaces that are bold and very thoughtfully considered. We feel like these rugs are an embodiment of those values in a product form.”
Together, the three studios present a richly layered collection that reflects not only their design perspectives but also the evolving language of contemporary Australian interiors. Unified by Ruggable’s practical foundation and The Local Project’s curatorial lens, this collaboration is designed not just to be seen but to be lived with.
