Ellison Studios Gets Serious With Game-Changing Sydney HQ and Trade Designer Suite.

Photography: Anson Smart.

After eight years of growth, Ellison Studios has hit a massive milestone—their first proper headquarters in Sydney’s Waterloo design district. This isn’t any old office space; it’s a 680-square-metre playground that perfectly captures what the Australian furniture brand with global reach is all about.

Founded in 2017 by Leigh McKeown, Ellison Studios started online and has grown into one of Australia’s most exciting design brands. Having watched their journey unfold over the years, this headquarters feels like the natural next step in their evolution.

Walk through the front door and you’re greeted by a four-metre palm tree surrounded by custom leather and steel seating. It’s bold, it’s unexpected, and it’s quintessentially Ellison. Then there’s the oak and travertine ping pong table—reimagined from their “Earth” dining collection—because why shouldn’t work be fun?

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20-Year Friendship Creates Design Magic at Currumbin Valley Retreat.

This home emerges from a five year collaboration between high school friends Megan Ziems and Ellison Studios' Leigh McKeown. HGA Studio delivered an epic residence that merges tropical brutalism with mid-century modernism through an Australian lens.

“The challenge with running any creative business is finding the perfect balance of magic and logic,” says Leigh. “That was the guiding principle when we approached designing this HQ space. It needed to speak to who we are as a global design brand, be an inspiring place for our team to create while still ensuring it functions for our clients and community.”

The real showstopper is the glass-brick staircase. It’s part sculpture, part function, and completely captivating as light shifts through it throughout the day. The material palette of steel, oak, cork and glass feels cohesive but never boring. “The glass-brick staircase stands as the studio’s luminous centrepiece. Its shifting translucency turns a daily climb into an ever-changing encounter with light,” Leigh explains.

Upstairs, the “By Appointment” Designer Suite is where the magic happens for trade clients. This pared-back space lets designers and clients focus entirely on the furniture without distractions. It’s a brilliant opportunity for professionals to experience pieces properly, understanding scale, texture, and craftsmanship firsthand.

The space showcases Ellison’s commitment to supporting local talent, featuring lighting by Volker Haug and custom details by Studio Henry Wilson. “Where we could, it was key for us to work with other Australian design brands to complement our collections,” notes Leigh.

From URL to IRL: Ellison Studios Debuts The Rental Inside a Sydney Design Icon.

Ellison Studios took a bold leap from the digital realm to the physical world. Occupying an entire floor of Sydney's historic Edwards & Co Building, this immersive concept space brought the studio's aesthetic to life.

This space perfectly reflects the brand’s personality—playful but sophisticated, confident but approachable. Leigh has built something special here, surrounding himself with talented collaborators like creative director Joseph Gardner and designer William McRoberts, with construction by long-time partner Jonathan Friend of JForm.

“As a socially native design brand stepping into the physical world, we wanted our personality to walk through the door with you. Playfulness hits you right away in the form of a custom travertine ping pong table—a reminder to our clients and team that while we take our work seriously, we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” he adds.

More than a workspace, this headquarters is also a statement. Ellison Studios has arrived, and if their trajectory over the past eight years is anything to go by, this is just the beginning. With fearless leadership and genuine passion driving the brand forward, I’ll be watching their continued rise with great interest.

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Embracing organic elements, this sculptural and functional furniture collection has strong interior influence for design-led outdoor spaces.

[Images courtesy of Ellison Studios. Creative direction by Joseph Gardner. Photography by Anson Smart.]