Abbotsford Convent to Transform into Major Melbourne Design Week Hub

Abbotsford Convent will come alive from 14-24 May as a major hub for Melbourne Design Week 2026, transforming the historic precinct.

Over 20+ free exhibitions, installations, talks and workshops led by Australia’s leading designers and creatives will take over the Abbotsford Convent, inviting visitors into many of the spaces that are not typically open to the public, where they will discover contemporary furniture, sculpture, interior design concepts and lighting installations.

Highlights of the MDW 2026 program at Abbotsford Convent include:

• 100 Chairs by Dale Hardiman | featuring 100 Australian designers, exhibited in the atmospheric Magdalen Laundries 
• Arum by Tom Fereday | useable glass objects produced through the process of sand casting  
• LOST HiDE by Emma Elizabeth | utilising overlooked upholstery leathers to create bespoke and limited-edition works, leather is reimagined not as decoration but as a vehicle for experimentation and transformation
• Synthesis by Ruby Shields | an interior installation transforming the rarely opened Bishop’s Parlour, saturating the historic room in swathes of colour
• The Sheepskin Suite by Wilson & Dorset| sheepskin will be used to envelop the walls, furniture and objects inside the Convent Salon 
• Reclaim and Transform Initiative by Melissa Gilbert | an outdoor installation by First Nations artist who turns abandoned festival tents into furniture and sculptures

The Convent will also host an exclusive Up Late on 16 May; a rare opportunity to experience MDW exhibitions and installations after dark and immerse people in the Convent precinct, with pop-up bars and food offerings dotted around the grounds.

With its layered history, open green spaces and network of historic buildings, the precinct offers an immersive backdrop for Melbourne Design Week, and audiences are free to wander and discover contemporary furniture, sculpture, interior design concepts and lighting.

As a multi-site destination rather than a single venue, the Convent experience invites visitors to move between exhibitions and installations, encountering design in unexpected places throughout the precinct.

Abbotsford Convent Foundation CEO Justine Hyde said the precinct’s inclusion as a key Melbourne Design Week hub reflects its role as a gathering place for creative practice and public engagement.

“Melbourne Design Week brings together some of the most exciting ideas and creative minds working today, and Abbotsford Convent offers a setting that invites people to engage with that work in a deeper, more exploratory way,” Ms Hyde said.

“This is a place where you can spend hours, moving between exhibitions, encountering new perspectives, and experiencing design within the rich context of a living heritage site. We’re proud to be a destination where emerging and established practitioners can share their work with broad and diverse audiences.”

Dr Timothy Moore, Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture, and Melbourne Design Week at the National Gallery of Victoria, said that securing the Convent as a major hub for MDW was exciting.

“The Abbotsford Convent is a place where creative communities gather,” said Dr Moore.

“Being part of Melbourne Design Week feels like a natural extension of that: a chance to open its doors to the designers, architects and makers that are shaping what Australian design looks like right now.”

Furniture designer, Dale Hardiman,  who is curating the 100 CHAIRS installation said, “After the success of 100 LIGHTS in 2025, hosting 100 CHAIRS at Australia’s largest multi-arts precinct will help support the visibility of so many early-career practitioners to the general public.”

For more information about Abbotsford Convent click here