Brahman Perera for Ruggable x The Local Project Collection
Melbourne designer Brahman Perera brings his emotive, theatrical aesthetic to the new Ruggable x The Local Project rug collection, with four designs inspired by heritage, ritual, colour and scent.
For the new Ruggable x The Local Project collaboration, Melbourne-based interior designer Brahman Perera brings his richly layered, sensorial aesthetic to a collection of rugs that are as practical as they are poetic. Inspired by temple rituals, family memories and the deeply personal language of colour and scent, the resulting rug quartet sits as comfortably underfoot as it does on a gallery wall.
“My design aesthetic is, first and foremost, emotive,” says Perera, founder of the interior design studio that bears his name. “It’s layered and it’s sensitive. I think there’s a playful quality to what we do. It sometimes can be serious, but there’ll be an element that’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, something that’s a little bit theatrical, always with the essence of movement and very sensorial.”
Perera’s work often draws on his Sri Lankan heritage, filtered through a contemporary lens and shaped by his experience growing up in a migrant household with multiple faiths. “There are a lot of amazing cultural elements that I bring into my work, or they just happen through a kind of viral osmosis,” he reflects. “I may not realise it at the time, but then when I look back at the body of work, I can see a connective thread that speaks very much to my personal heritage.”
That thread runs deeply through his designs for the Ruggable x The Local Project Collection. Fluttering Carnations, with its motifs of marigolds, jasmine and carnations, recalls the shared ritual of making flower garlands for temple offerings or prayers at home. Its scattered composition suggests petals tossed across the floor or caught in mid-air. Ceylon Soft Sapphire is cast in two tranquil tones of blue, with an understated border that gently frames the composition – two floral motifs placed in opposing corners.
Golden Marigold channels the richness of turmeric, echoing the warm, earthy tones found in traditional Sri Lankan cuisine and ceremonial dress. By contrast, Temple Silhouette offers a minimalist rhythm in charcoal and ivory designed to ground a space or provide a moment of visual stillness when paired with more expressive pieces. “For this collection, I actually thought a lot about my grandparents. We would go to temple often. There was a lot of colour, a lot of noise, a lot of incredible smells, and I think pulling from that really rich resource helped to create this collection.”
“What’s fantastic about these designs is that they’re meant for high traffic. They’re meant for life. They’re meant for mess.”
Perera also considered how the rugs would function in a home. “I try to decipher where I want the furniture arrangements to be and how much of the pattern we’re going to see and experience. We also tried to compose rooms through sketches and drawings that showed how we could use these as tapestries and art pieces in addition to being on the floor.”
This focus shaped how the designs were scaled and spaced, creating soft landing zones that frame furniture without overwhelming the room. “What’s fantastic about these designs is that they’re meant for high traffic. They’re meant for life. They’re meant for mess.”
“I try to decipher where I want the furniture arrangements to be and how much of the pattern we’re going to see and experience.”
Fully machine-washable and available in both flat-woven and tufted versions, the collection reflects Ruggable’s ethos: that a rug should suit your lifestyle, not the other way around.
Production by The Local Production.
