Founded through the lens of social media, ELLISON STUDIOS. is a multidisciplinary design brand known for its distinctive, mood-driven aesthetic that blends contemporary interiors with vintage sensibilities and artistic curation. Over the past seven years, the studio has cultivated a cult following through a visually rich Instagram presence that feels part editorial, part dream home, and part modern gallery. Now, with the launch of THE RENTAL 2.0, that digital vision has stepped off the screen and into the real world.
Unveiled in Sydney, THE RENTAL 2.0 occupies an entire floor inside the historic Edwards & Co. Ltd Building, offering a fully immersive residential loft experience that blurs the lines between installation, concept store, and social hub. It’s the first physical extension of ELLISON STUDIOS., and it captures the brand’s ethos in brick, hardwood, and carefully curated design.
Rather than a fixed showroom, THE RENTAL 2.0 operates as a living, breathing mood board, updated seasonally with rotating collections of iconic design pieces, artworks, and objects. It plays host to a roster of programming including private showings, community dinners, product launches, and even stylish sleepovers. As co-founder Leigh McKeown puts it, “While sharing content online is amazing, sharing this space with our friends, collaborators, and clients is bringing with it a deeper sense of connection and community.”
The setting itself is as much a part of the experience as the furniture inside it. Originally built in 1926, the Edwards & Co. building retains many of its defining features: five-metre-high windows, original timber floors, and a soulful patina shaped by nearly a century of life and reinvention, including, it’s rumored, hosting Baz Luhrmann’s wedding.
At the heart of the space, the FLOAT sofa, upholstered in ELLISON STUDIOS.’ signature “Piccolo” hue, anchors the open-plan living room. With its deep seat and horizontal channel tufting, it nods to 1970s conversation pits while feeling completely modern. Surrounding it is a mix of vintage design classics and cult favorites, from Marcel Breuer’s Wassily chair to Akari lighting by Isamu Noguchi, and a Dieter Rams stereo system for BRAUN. The walls double as a rotating gallery, showcasing emerging talent from Australia and beyond.
Thoughtful, immersive, and deeply curated, THE RENTAL 2.0 is more than a physical space, it’s an invitation to step inside a brand universe. What began as a visual language online has now become a real-world destination for creative community, cultural dialogue, and aesthetic inspiration.
