Design meets barbering: New barbershop Lounge and Blade opens in Glenorchy

Designer-turned-barber Nigel Vogler and co-founder Carlos Lira have opened Lounge and Blade, a new Glenorchy space for haircuts and locally made leather.

Nigel Vogler and business partner Carlos Lira have opened Lounge and Blade barbershop in Glenorchy. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Lounge and Blade isn’t your average suburban barbershop.

Nigel Vogler and Carlos Lira’s undeniably cool Glenorchy shop opened last week, offering haircuts and handmade leather goods.

Making the move to Hobart earlier this year, Mr Vogler combined his background in design and love of barbering for the new venture.

“They’re two industries that really work well together, the barbershop and leather goods, and we want to slowly work on it being a brand,” Mr Vogler said.

“I worked in design for 15 years so I never needed any other skills to rely on, but the industry is changing so when I got back to Australia I went back to barbering,”

“I enjoy it too much, it keeps me creative.”

Lounge and Blade Barbershop in Glenorchy. Picture: Nigel Vogler

Describing barbering as his “backup career”, Mr Vogler’s design roots are evident in the recent renovations.

“So far we’re doing walk-ins only and the space really brings people to us,” Mr Vogler said.

“The feedback has been really great, people have been happy with the quality of work that we’re doing and they love the space.”

With a vision to expand beyond haircuts to include facial grooming and dedicated retail, Mr Vogler said he hopes focusing on the experience will set them apart.

“We want to be convenient for people but it would be really cool to become busy enough to create a full-time appointment based experience,” Mr Vogler said.

Lounge and Blade is now open Tuesday to Sunday on Main Road Glenorchy.

Originally published as Design meets barbering: New barbershop Lounge and Blade opens in Glenorchy