KOHORT Studio at 234 Bridge Road, Richmond offers more than standard chair rental. For stylists who want a dedicated space with more separation, more control over the client experience, and the feel of running their own micro-salon, we have studio and semi-private suite arrangements to talk through. You keep the community and professional infrastructure of KOHORT, and gain a space that is genuinely yours to run.

The gap between a chair and a salon of your own

A lot of experienced hairdressers sit somewhere in between. You are not ready to sign a long commercial lease, take on all the overheads of a full salon, manage staff, and run everything from scratch. But you have also outgrown sharing an open floor with five other stylists. You want more separation. You want the client experience to feel more curated, more like your world, less like a shared space.

That is the gap a studio or suite arrangement fills. At KOHORT, we have been thinking about this since the beginning. The co-working model we built supports both ends: open chairs for stylists who want community with minimal overhead, and more defined studio spaces for stylists who want to operate with greater autonomy while still being part of something larger.

If you are at the stage where you want to feel like you have your own salon without actually owning one, this is a sensible middle ground.

What a studio arrangement looks like at KOHORT

A studio or semi-private suite at KOHORT gives you a physically defined space within the building at 234 Bridge Road. The degree of separation, and what that looks like in practice, depends on what is available and what you need. We do not have a fixed product to sell you here. We have a conversation, look at the space together, and work out whether what we have fits what you are after.

In general terms, a more private arrangement at KOHORT gives you:

• A defined, dedicated area that feels distinctly yours
• Greater control over how you set up the space, how you present to clients, and the atmosphere you create
• The same access to backwash, colour bar, and shared professional infrastructure that all KOHORT renters have
• The community and professional network of KOHORT stylists around you, available when you want them and absent when you do not

Rates for a studio arrangement are different from standard chair rental and depend on the space and your days. Talk to us directly for the specifics.

Running your own micro-salon from Bridge Road

The practical reality of a private or semi-private studio at KOHORT is that your clients experience something closer to a one-on-one appointment in your own salon than a shared floor. That matters if you work with clients who value discretion, who book longer appointments, or who are paying for a premium experience and expecting the environment to match.

Your branding, your products, your playlist, your booking process: all of that is yours to define. The KOHORT address at 234 Bridge Road, Richmond gives you a professional, credible location on a well-known inner-east strip without the commitment of a lease. For clients coming from Cremorne, Burnley, South Yarra, Hawthorn or across the Yarra corridor, Bridge Road is an accessible and familiar destination.

You can still refer to yourself as being at KOHORT or simply use 234 Bridge Road as your address. Many stylists in studio arrangements build an entirely distinct identity while sharing the building with the broader KOHORT community. There is no conflict there.

Autonomy and community: how both work at once

The thing people get wrong about going fully independent is assuming it has to mean working alone. A home salon or a small single-operator space can feel isolating. You lose the daily contact with other hairdressers, the informal knowledge exchange, the energy of a working floor, and the simple convenience of having someone nearby when a client cancels and you need to fill a spot.

At KOHORT, the seven stylists currently based here operate independently but share a building. There is no management structure, no hierarchy, no one telling anyone else how to run their column. But there is a real community. People talk. People refer. People share what they know about products, technique, and the business side of being independent.

A studio arrangement gives you physical separation without cutting you off from that. You close the door for your appointment. You open it when you want to be part of the floor. For a lot of stylists, that balance is exactly what they were looking for when they left a conventional salon.

Read more about how KOHORT was built and what drives the way we work.

Who a studio or suite rental suits

A studio arrangement at KOHORT is a good fit if you:

• Have a well-established client base that books ahead and stays loyal
• Work in a specialty, like colour correction, extensions, or long-session technical work, that benefits from more focused space
• Want to build a brand with a strong visual identity and a curated client experience
• Have considered leasing your own salon but are not ready for the full commitment
• Work with clients who value privacy and a quieter environment during their appointment

It is also worth talking to us if you are two hairdressers thinking about a shared studio. That is a different conversation but not one we rule out.

Getting to KOHORT from Richmond and the inner east

The building is at 234 Bridge Road, Richmond, on a tram route with easy access from Richmond Station and East Richmond Station. Clients from South Yarra, Hawthorn, Abbotsford, Collingwood and Burnley are all within ten to fifteen minutes. Street parking is available on Bridge Road and the surrounding streets. For longer appointments, the trains to Richmond and East Richmond are usually the more reliable option for clients coming from further in or further east.

The Bridge Road address is also good for your own commute. If you live in the inner east, inner north or inner south, you are not fighting traffic to get here.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a chair rental and a salon suite at KOHORT?

Chair rental gives you a designated column on the shared floor. A studio or suite arrangement gives you a more physically defined space with greater separation from the rest of the floor. Both models include access to the same professional infrastructure. The differences are in privacy, branding control, and cost. Talk to us about what is currently available.

Can I decorate or set up a studio space the way I want?

To a reasonable degree, yes. The space should still work well for the other people in the building, and there are practical limits to structural changes. But in terms of how you present your brand, set up your products, and create an environment for your clients, you have significant latitude. We talk through specifics when we show you the space.

Do I still have access to the colour bar and backwash in a studio arrangement?

Yes. Shared infrastructure including backwash and the colour bar is available to all renters at KOHORT regardless of their arrangement. The colour bar is stocked with products including L'Oreal Metal Detox, Olaplex, K18 and Kérastase treatments, which are part of the daily work here.

Is a studio arrangement more expensive than chair rental?

Generally yes, because you are getting more space and more separation. The rate depends on the specific space and the number of days. We do not publish fixed prices because what is available changes. Get in touch and we will give you a clear picture of what is on offer.

Can two hairdressers share a studio space at KOHORT?

It is worth asking. If you are thinking about a shared arrangement with another hairdresser, come and talk to us. It depends on what is available and whether the arrangement works for the space and the building.

How do I know if I am ready for a studio arrangement rather than a standard chair?

A good indicator is whether your book is consistently full, your client relationships are strong, and you are finding the open floor model limiting rather than energising. If you are thinking about it, have the conversation with us. We will tell you honestly what we think.

How do I apply to rent a studio at KOHORT?

The first step is getting in touch via our join KOHORT page. We find out what you are looking for, show you what is available, and go from there. There is no obligation until both sides are happy with the arrangement.