This lovingly restored Tassie cottage is a vintage design dream

Lara PiconeBy Lara Picone
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Live out your vintage design dreams in this beautifully restored Tassie cottage.

Perched prettily in a tree-lined street in the fringing suburb of West Hobart, a stay at Lumière Lodge is akin to style nirvana for those with a penchant for vintage aesthetics. A Pinterest board rendered real, owners Kerran and Sam have infused their heart and soul into the restoration of this storybook three-bedroom Victorian cottage. Carefully and faithfully acknowledging the past, while still somehow imbuing it with a softly contemporary feel.

At Lumière, the ritual of arrival has been purposefully planned to transport guests to a bygone era. Billie Holiday’s velvet croons (side tip: be sure to follow Lumière’s Spotify playlists) welcome in tandem with a gently glowing fire warming the dining and kitchen space. Here a provincial English aesthetic is folded into the cottage’s original architecture and interspersed with hand-chosen vintage oil paintings, quirky taxidermy animals and strategically placed silk bows.

Exterior of Lumière Lodge. (Image: Lean Timms)
The luxury cottage stay, Lumière Lodge. (Image: Lean Timms)

Large French windows, Neff appliances, a deeply generous marble-topped bench and an abundance of elegant vintage crockery, flatware and glassware practically beg the instigation of an impromptu dinner party. While by morning, the soft Tasmanian sun filtering into the space through the flagstone courtyard’s deciduous trees welcomes hands cocooned around coffee cups and croissant crumbs brushed away.

Fresh bread and jams for breakfast at Lumiere Lodge
Breakfast is best enjoyed in the light-filled kitchen. (Image: Lean Timms)

Set off from the original hallway, each room is a vignette seemingly styled for a specific moment. In the front study, one imagines enjoying a fireside glass of burgundy from the cellar while reading amid a pastiche of art and paraphernalia. A cosy lounge area with chestnut leather sofa and velvet wingback armchair invites whisky-sipping, walnut-cracking (from a bowl overflowing with the nuts), and deep conversation. It’s a room where it feels you might solve worldly issues or unearth a richer appreciation for your fellow guests.

The fireplace at Lumiere Lodge
A fireside chat doesn’t get cosier than this. (Image: Lean Timms)

During the restoration, a 1960s-era extension was demolished to make way for a more sympathetic and usable layout, while rooms were rearranged and repurposed, such as the original dining room, which became the main bathroom. This large, pink-drenched space is ambiently lit for enjoying a bath by a beautiful stained-glass window tenderly reinstalled from elsewhere in the cottage.

The pink bathroom at Lumiere Lodge in Hobart
Bathe beside the stained glass window in this pink-washed delight. (Image: Lean Timms)

Take the petite staircase upstairs to the dollhouse-like attic where a third, and comprehensively dusty-pink bedroom, complete with a compact bathroom, is an elegant retreat. It perhaps would have made an appropriate dressing room for a visiting 1920s Hollywood starlet with its gorgeous claw-foot bathtub positioned for a soak and a stargaze. Having been lowered in through the sash window by crane, while guided by hand, the bath’s existence here is a testament to the dedication Kerran and Sam have given to creating moments of exquisite detail at Lumière Lodge.

The bedroom attic at Lumière Lodge.
The doll-house-like bedroom in the attic. (Image: Lean Timms)

What’s there to do at Lumière Lodge?

The white timber cottage is the perfect place to relish cool Tassie evenings by one of the beautifully restored original fireplaces. This gorgeous stay enables guests to simply be together – reading, cooking, chatting or just silently connecting. You can also opt in for The Lumière Luxury experience, which is an evening hosted by chef Lilly Trewartha that includes a multiple-course, full-service dinner party.

Table set for a dinner party at Lumière Lodge
Dinner parties are anything but casual at Lumière Lodge. (Image: Lean Timms)

What does staying at Lumière Lodge cost?

Expect to pay from $600 per night for 1–2 people. This rate increases by $100 per person, per night ($1000 per night for the whole home). However, in the off-season (during late winter and early spring), you can expect a lower rate.

The kitchen at Lumiere Lodge in Hobart
Lumière Lodge served as the perfect base for exploring Hobart. (Image: Lean Timms)
Lara Picone
Working for many of Australia’s top publications, Lara Picone has had the distinct pleasure of writing, editing and curating content about the finer things in life for more than 15 years. Graduating from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, her editorial foundation began at Qantas: The Australian Way magazine, before moving on to learn the fast-paced ropes of a weekly magazine at Sunday Magazine and picking up the art of brand curation at donna hay magazine. Pivoting a near-problematic travel lust into a career move by combining it with storytelling and a curious appetite, her next role was as Deputy Editor of SBS Feast magazine and later Online Editor of SBS Food online. She then stepped into her dream job as Editor of Australian Traveller before becoming Online Editor for both International Traveller and Australian Traveller. Now as a freelancer, Lara always has her passport at-the-ready to take flight on assignment for the Australian Traveller team, as well as for publications such as Qantas Magazine, Escape and The Weekend Australian. As ever, her appetite is the first thing she packs.
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5 of the best day trips from Hobart

    Rachel LayBy Rachel Lay
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    Hobart has quietly become our coolest capital, but the real wonder lies just beyond the city limits.

    In the cool shade of Kunyani/ Mt Wellington, Hobart has earned a reputation. Home to culture-defining Dark MOFO, the city blends rugged, raw wilderness and rule-breaking galleries. But, step beyond the thrumming capital’s border and you’ll find a new perspective: historic towns, Jurassic-era cliffs and a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. With ALL Accor as your home away from home, fill your days with epicurean odysseys and wild scenery on the best day trips from Hobart.

    Where to stay

    Behind every good road trip is the perfect home base. Somewhere central to review your camera roll, make the most of Hobart’s dining scene and relax before setting off again.

    For modern, Tasmanian-inspired design, book a stay at the Movenpick Hotel Hobart . Standing at the Salamanca Markets, look to the Hobart skyline and the award-winning hotel will catch your eye. As the third-tallest building in the CBD, the views across the harbour toward Antarctica are totally unique to your room. Here, end each day at the daily free chocolate hour (plus a free Movenpick ice cream for the little ones).

    For a more budget-conscious option, head to the picture book, sandstone buildings of Macquarie Street. Nestled along the buzzing, historic streetscape, you’ll find Tasmania’s biggest hotel: the Ibis Styles . Return home each day to defrost in one of the hotel’s two saunas. Make use of the proximity to MONA, or take an easy stroll to the candy-coloured cottages of Battery Point between your adventures.

    A stylish, Tasmanian-inspired bedroom at Mövenpick Hotel Hobart, your perfect base for relaxing after the best day trips from Hobart.
    Elevate your Hobart stay with sleek style at Mövenpick.

    1. Bruny Island

    Craggy cliffs and tropical-hued, white sand beaches signal your arrival to Bruny Island/ Lunawanna-Alonnah.

    Start your day trip at the island’s most iconic spot, the Neck Game Reserve. Scale the Trunganini steps to gaze out over the teensy stretch of land that juts through the sea connecting the two ends of the island.

    Catch a rare glimpse of the white furred wallabies that call Bruny Island home at Adventure Bay. Then, for ocean-fresh oysters, pull into the drive-thru window at Get Shucked . Sample Bruny Island cheese at the cellar door before catching the ferry home with an esky full of local produce.

    Bruny Island Neck is an isthmus of land connecting north and south Bruny Island.
    Begin your adventure with a climb and a view. (Image: Elise Weaver)

    2. Mount Wellington

    At 1271 metres, Mount Wellington watches protectively over Hobart. Follow the winding road to climb through alpine forest and tufts of snow to reach the summit. Gaze down over Hobart and out to sea, or over your shoulder to the southwestern wilderness.

    Reset your adrenaline with a mountain bike ride back down. Or, make like the locals and head into the mountain on foot. Try the hike to the Jurassic-period Organ Pipes which slips under the mountain’s magnificent dolerite cliffs (perfect for families thanks to the trail’s minimal incline).

    For a view of Mount Wellington itself, hike nearby Cathedral Rock.

    No matter where you are in Hobart you are never far away from the City's beloved mountain, Kunanyi / Mount Wellington
    Climb through alpine forest to the summit. (Image: Paul Flemming)

    2. Port Arthur

    Constructed entirely by convicts, the manicured gardens and penal buildings of Port Arthur offer a day trip that practically hums with history.

    The rugged, seagirt location was chosen for its difficult escape conditions. Now, you can cruise the coast below the towering, jagged cliffs of the Tasman National Park or wander the sloping fields of fragrant lavender.

    Tickets to Port Arthur include a walking tour and harbour cruise. See the Isle of the Dead where 1000 men are buried in marked and unmarked graves. And Point Puer, Britain’s first prison for children.

    The Port Arthur Historic Site is one of Australia's most important heritage sites and tourist destinations. Located on the scenic Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula in the south east of Tasmania, it offers a unique and essential experience for all visitors to the area.
    Wander convict-built grounds and gardens. (Image: Dearna Bond)

    3. Launceston

    You’ll find Launceston at the confluence of three rivers after an easy 2.5-hour drive from Hobart. Launceston is a patchwork of old and new. Here, heritage streetscapes meet modern architecture.

    Visit Cataract Gorge, the green, sun-dappled heart of the town and sacred meeting point for Tasmania’s indigenous communities. Pull up at roadside produce stalls that dot the Tamar Valley, or dine out. Launceston is, after all, a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.

    Should the local wine scene persuade you, simply extend your time in Launceston at Peppers Silo (but definitely at least stop by the onsite restaurant, Grain of the Silo , for a farm fresh menu) or Mercure Launceston before heading back to Hobart.

    Walk the sunlit paths of Cataract Gorge. (Image: Nick H Visuals)

    4. Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary

    Take a 35-minute drive from your hotel and you’ll find Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary . This social enterprise is run by a team of extremely passionate Tasmanians with a mission to look after critically endangered species who have found sanctuary here after facing extinction on the mainland.

    Choose to wander the sanctuary at your own pace or join a guided tour (free with your ticket) to come face to face with Tassie’s most iconic species. Tasmanian Devils, wombats and echidnas are part of the free tour. You can book up close encounters with your favourite animals, too.

    Bonorong is a Sanctuary for wildlife run by a passionate team of like-minded people. We're a social enterprise: a little business with a big heart.
    Snap a cuddle-worthy encounter. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    5. Richmond Village & Coal River Valley

    Richmond is a town that belongs in a snow globe. Fifty colonial-era, Georgian buildings have been painstakingly restored and turned into cafes, cosy restaurants and galleries. Visit Richmond Gaol , said to be the home of a prisoner so vile he inspired Charles Dickens to pen Oliver Twist’s Fagin.

    Then, follow the Coal River as it flows past grassy, duckling-dotted knolls and under the iconic Richmond Bridge, the oldest bridge in Australia. From the crest of the bridge, see the oldest Catholic Church in Australia. The river crawls past many cellar doors, perfect for a day of wine tasting.

    Richmond is a picture-perfect town in the Coal River Valley wine region, offering a glimpse into early colonial life, one of the best day trips from Hobart.
    Trace the river through history and wine country. (Image: Fin Matson)

    Plan your trip to Hobart and beyond with ALL Accor at All.com .