Tom Mark Henry for Ruggable x The Local Project Collaboration

Tom Mark Henry’s pieces for the groundbreaking Ruggable x The Local Project design collaboration draw heavily on the beauty of the Australian landscape, featuring sculptural neutrals and sunbaked tones.

For the unique collaboration between Ruggable and The Local Project, interior design studio Tom Mark Henry turned to the grounding beauty of the Australian landscape to create three striking rugs. Founded in 2014 by Cushla McFadden and Jade Nottage, Tom Mark Henry has built a reputation for a refined yet playful aesthetic, combining high design with everyday function. With offices in Sydney and Brisbane and a team of 12, the studio’s projects reflect an appreciation of ease, balance and a distinctly Australian approach to living.

“We kept a sense of imperfection within our designs to capture the natural raw beauty of the Australian landscape and to keep them more organic.”

That sense of ease became a through-line for the studio’s three designs for the Ruggable x The Local Project Collection. Inspired by the natural environment – from coastal dunes to rugged bushland – the designs embrace texture, imperfection and elemental forms. “The main inspiration was the Australian landscape,” says Tristan Qasabian, the studio’s senior creative manager. “We were particularly inspired by the beaches around Sydney, as well as the north and south coasts of New South Wales.”

Designed to feel both tactile and grounded, the rugs explore rhythm and asymmetry through softly drawn lines and layered textures. Dune evokes the shifting form and contours of sand dunes; Boulder references the solidity and organic geometry of rock formations; and Tierra draws from the crackled red earth and rhythmic flow of bush streams. “We drew a lot of inspiration from the crashing of waves, the gentle ripple effects in rivers and also natural rock formations,” explains Qasabian. “And we kept a sense of imperfection within our designs to capture the natural raw beauty of the landscape and to keep them more organic.”

“Working with Ruggable was fascinating. They were open to our ideas, and we feel like they executed them very uniquely while staying true to the concept.”

Beyond aesthetics, the practical qualities of Ruggable’s rugs make them ideal for modern living. All designs in the collection are machine-washable, water-resistant and stain-resistant. “This is useful if you have small children or pets,” says Tom Mark Henry co-founder Cushla McFadden. “If you’re having a dinner party, you don’t have to be precious or careful. You can continue to live however you would without having to worry about spills and everyday wear and tear.”

The collaboration with Ruggable x The Local Project allowed the team to push their ideas into a new product category, an experience they describe as both technically interesting and creatively open. “Working with Ruggable was fascinating,” says McFadden. “They were open to our ideas, and we feel like they executed them very uniquely while staying true to the concept.”

“You can continue to live however you would without having to worry about spills and everyday wear and tear.”

With generous sizing options and a design language that sits comfortably between contemporary and eclectic, the collection anchors interiors in something elemental and undeniably Australian.

Production by The Local Production.