EDITION 58. THE LOBBY
WELCOME TO THE LOBBY.
We’ve been expecting you.
There is a particular kind of theatre that unfolds in a hotel lobby.
A choreography of arrivals and departures. The quiet pause of someone waiting. The gentle hum of conversation between strangers and friends alike. It is a space defined by transitions, not quite public, not quite private. Where observation becomes part of the experience.
Set above Chapel Street inside the landmark Conways Building, a grand dame of Melbourne retail originally designed by Tompkins and Tompkins in 1914, The Lobby is our newest residency. Occupying the first floor of a historic department store, we have reimagined the space as a contemporary interpretation of a hotel lobby.
Rather than a traditional showroom, The Lobby is an interior designed to be spent in. Our collections unfold as a series of lived-in moments, from a sweeping 15-seat configuration of the FLOAT sofa to smaller seating arrangements that create quiet corners for conversation, observation, work or pause.
Artworks throughout the space are curated by Sydney gallery, Hake House, while a library of rare and out-of-print books has been assembled by Melbourne’s Selected Objects — both long-standing relationships of Ellison Studios.
[ SWIPE FOR MORE ]
By day, The Lobby operates as a working environment for interior designers and trade partners. As afternoon turns to evening, the atmosphere shifts, a record plays, a drink is poured and conversation often stretches longer than expected.
Over the coming months, the space will host talks, performances and gatherings, welcoming guests from across design, fashion and the wider creative community.
After all, the best lobbies are never static. They are shaped by the people who pass through them.
Why not check in, settle. Stay a while.
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT HERE
The Lobby by Ellison Studios.1/249 Chapel Street,Prahran VIC 3181
DOCUMENTED BY @SMARTANSON
CREATIVE DIRECTION BY @JOSEPHGARDNER
PRAHRAN, MELBOURNE. MARCH 2026.