Fiona Lynch x Waverley Mills — Desert Field Returns for Winter

Fiona Lynch is one of Australia's most respected and recognised interior designers — recognised for work that balances material richness with restraint, curiosity and a deep understanding of place. Her portfolio spans private residences, hospitality projects and cultural institutions, and in 2026 she was named to Vogue Living's VL50 list of Australia's leading designers.

Through Fiona Lynch Office, she brings what she describes as an "inquisitive and evolving" process to every project — guided by thoughtful design thinking and realised through a commitment to craft, materiality and detail.

It is a philosophy that sits naturally alongside our own.

For more than 150 years, Waverley Mills has been transforming Australian wool into textiles in Tasmania. As Australia's last fully integrated weaving mill, we continue to spin, weave and finish our textiles under one roof, maintaining a direct connection between fibre, maker and finished product. That shared respect for materials, provenance and enduring quality formed the foundation of the Desert Field collaboration.

This May, Desert Field stepped beyond the home and into the gallery.

As part of Melbourne Design Week 2026 — presented by the National Gallery of Victoria — Fiona Lynch Office presented Work Shop: On Permanence in Contemporary Practice at her Collingwood studio, in partnership with design studio Fomu Studio and Waverley Mills. 

The exhibition invited visitors to experience the journey of the collection firsthand, from raw fleece and spun yarn through to woven textiles and finished throws, revealing the often unseen processes behind Australian textile manufacturing. 

Alongside Fomu Studio's presentation of new works, prototypes and sketches, the exhibition reflected on the value of making, material knowledge and permanence in contemporary design. Both collaborations shared a strong connection to Tasmania — a place where quality, craftsmanship and a close relationship to landscape continue to shape the objects being made. 

Together, the exhibition explored what endures: objects created with intention, designed to outlast trends and made to become more meaningful through use. 

As Waverley Mills CEO Fran Maiale observed, it was a powerful celebration of Australian agriculture, design and manufacturing working together. 

Desert Field began not in a studio but on a trail.

After months of lockdown, Fiona sought restoration in the heart of the Australian desert, walking the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory with friends immersing herself in a landscape of sandstone escarpments glowing at dawn, ridgelines dissolving into violet dusk and ghost gums etched against an endless sky. 

From those impressions, and the immersive simplicity of the Colour Field Art Movement, came the idea for a textile collection. Four throws — Simpson, Standley , Ormiston and Sonder — each named for places along the trail, became woven studies of landforms and light. Bands of colour were distilled to their essence, shifting like desert air from morning radiance to evening depth. 

"The colours and textures of the Larapinta Trail inspired our Desert Field blanket collection with Waverley Mills. The collaboration reflects our shared commitment to natural materials, enduring design, and a deep sense of place." — Fiona Lynch 

The wool behind Desert Field carries its own remarkable story.

Sourced from the historic Winton Estate near Campbell Town, Tasmania, the collection is woven from 18-micron superfine Merino wool renowned for its softness, brightness and consistency. These qualities allow colour to be expressed with exceptional clarity, making it an ideal fibre for a collection built around subtle shifts in tone, light and landscape.

The connection is also deeply personal. Fiona's grandfather, the renowned sheep judge J.W. Benham, long admired the Winton bloodlines and incorporated their genetics into his own flock. Generations later, that relationship came full circle through Fiona's first textile collection — a meeting of heritage wool, contemporary design and Australian craftsmanship.

The result is a collection where the wool itself becomes part of the story, connecting landscape, agriculture and design through a single fibre.

With winter settling in, Desert Field feels more relevant than ever. 

These are throws designed to be lived with — draped across a sofa, layered at the end of a bed or carried into long evenings by the fire. Bold enough to anchor a room. Warm enough to earn their place within it. 

Woven at our Launceston mill from superfine 18-micron Winton Merino wool, Desert Field reflects what happens when exceptional Australian wool, thoughtful design and skilled local making come together. 

Grounded in landscape, shaped by craftsmanship and designed to be lived with for years to come, the collection is a reminder that the most enduring objects begin with a genuine sense of place.