Interiors

A Beautifully Restored 1890s Victorian Home In West Hobart

Earlier this week, our founding editor Lucy Feagins shared her ultimate Tasmania road trip following a recent family holiday. Among the boutique accommodation she was lucky to stay in was Lumière Lodge — a restored 1890s Victorian home in West Hobart. It’s so charming, it deserves its own dedicated time in the spotlight!

Owners Kerran Langley and her husband Sam bought this property seven years ago, going on to complete a major restoration and renovation combining influences of traditional English kitchens and the elaborate lost huts of Kunanyi/Mt Wellington. 

Kerran describes Lumière Lodge as ‘old Hobart Town’ reimagined — a place where voyagers from near and far can hang up their coat and rest their weary feet.’ 

Written
by
Amelia Barnes

The enchanting living room inside Lumière Lodge. Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

Owners Kerran Langley and her husband Sam bought this property seven years ago, going on to complete a major restoration and renovation combining influences of traditional English kitchens and the elaborate lost huts of Kunanyi/Mt Wellington. Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

Kerran describes Lumière Lodge as ‘old Hobart Town reimagined.’ Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

Dreamy light fills the kitchen every day. Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

A quiet corner of the kitchen. Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

Sam and Kerran lived in the home for a few years before renovating to observe the seasons and the way spaces functioned. Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

A moodier, dark green theme in one of the sitting rooms. Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

Vintage oil portraits feature across the home.  Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

The updated home is in keeping with its age, but with a dash of modernity and youth. Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

Imagine taking a soak in the luxurious claw-foot bathtub by the stunning stained glass window! Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

Cute checkerboard tiles match the home’s green accents. Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

‘I constantly love observing natural wonders and historical artefacts; be it the colours of lichen, native vegetation, historical writings, and photographs,’ says Kerran.  Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

Thoughtful details of a bygone era are hidden everywhere you look. Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

The delightful blush-toned bathroom. Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

Pretty in pink! Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

‘Relaxing in the clawed foot bath at the end of the day with the gentle flicker of candlelight, oil paintings, and the smoky scent of the old chimney is the loveliest of experiences.’ Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

Picture-perfect.

A charming bedroom nook. Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

The restored 1890s facade. Photos – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

Book your stay at Lumière Lodge! Photo – Marnie Hawson. Styling – Kerran and Sam Langley

Writer
Amelia Barnes
27th of May 2022

​​Kerran Langley and her husband Sam were seeking a home to renovate when they discovered what’s now known as Lumière Lodge. Kerran remembers that day with clarity: ‘I was scrolling through the local real estate guide on the evening of Good Friday, 2015… The next day we drove along the beautiful tree-lined street and were fortunate enough to find the owner pottering in the front garden. She was very warm and approachable and welcomed us in to look. We immediately fell in love with the home’s uniqueness and pounced on the opportunity to be its new occupants. The contract was signed on Easter Monday.’

The couple loved the West Hobart home’s reasonably untouched condition, with the potential to restore and shape for the future. ‘Some of the original features had been boarded up or removed, but that gave us the opportunity to undo, discover and recreate,’ says Kerran.

Sam and Kerran lived in the home for a few years before renovating to observe the seasons and the way spaces functioned. They eventually settled on a traditional restoration of the home in keeping with its age, but with a dash of modernity and youth.

Inspirations ranged from English kitchens, to the ornate lost huts of Kunanyi/Mt Wellington, and lavish film sets. ‘I constantly love observing natural wonders and historical artefacts– be it the colours of lichen, native vegetation, historical writings and photographs,’ says Kerran. 

The renovation saw a 1960s extension replaced with a new addition. Notable features were repurposed in the original rooms of the home, including a beautiful stained-glass window shifted to the main bathroom. This blush-toned bathroom is Kerran’s favourite room in the entire property, and it’s not hard to see why! 

‘Relaxing in the clawed foot bath at the end of the day with the gentle flicker of candlelight, oil paintings, and the smoky scent of the old chimney is the loveliest of experiences. During the day an array of colours bathe the room from the stained-glass window,’ she says.   

Kerran and Sam conserved as much of the home’s integrity and history as possible — plenty of which was uncovered during the eventual renovation. ‘It was spectacular peeling back the layers of wallpaper from decades past to discover newspaper articles highlighting the current times in the 1800s,’ says Kerran. ‘We also discovered the shoes of past occupants placed meaningfully under the floorboards, bulbs in springtime sprouting from the garden beds, [and] a tram ticket was found lodged in the lacework on the balcony.’

Visit Lumière Lodge today and you’ll find a unique play on colour, light, and styling in every room. The house harmoniously travels from old to new, beautifully reflecting Hobart’s past and present. 

Book your stay at Lumière Lodge

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