Melbourne Design Week 2026 brings together leading designers, architects, makers and thinkers from Australia and overseas to celebrate and discuss bold ideas and contemporary design with an elaborate program featuring more than 400 events across Melbourne.

Running 14–24 May, the 11-day festival showcases the power of design to shape contemporary life and culture. The 2026 program spans a wide range of design disciplines and ideas from emerging interior design trends and contemporary furniture to cutting-edge industrial design, climate-responsive sportswear and experimental food experiences. Marking its tenth year, Melbourne Design Week will also celebrate the rich legacy of Australian design by focusing on influential personalities as well as projects and presentations showcasing local innovation, manufacturing and retail.

Prominent among the many highlights this week are ‘It’s 2100: Welcome to the Symbiocene’, a half-day symposium that invites participants to think beyond the current Anthropocene period, which also lays the groundwork for the next session – a conversation with David Holmgren that will explore the idea of the Symbiocene; ‘Interior Design Today’, which brings interior design centre stage through four sessions of talks and discussions with industry leaders; and in-conversation events featuring acclaimed Australian designers Mary Featherston and David Flack.

Melbourne Design Week - John Gollings.jpg — *John Gollings Artist Room | Presented by National Gallery of Victoria*

At the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, a conversation with Melbourne-based architectural photographer John Gollings and lunchtime talks with designers headline the program. Winning and nominated entries for the Australian Furniture Design Award, presented by Stylecraft and NGV, will be showcased at Stylecraft’s new showroom.

At the new Design Week venue, Chapter House, Conversations by Jon Goulder and Collaborators will spotlight fourth-generation Australian furniture designer and maker Jon Goulder, who has been awarded the 2026 Melbourne Design Week Award for his significant contribution to Australian design over the past three decades.

Melbourne Design Week 2026: Program highlights

It’s 2100: Welcome to the Symbiocene | Presented by RMIT University & Symbiocene Institute & NGV

Wednesday 20 May, 10am–1pm | Ticketed | NGV International

Hosted by Naomi Stead, Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor, Engagement, RMIT University, Andy Marks, Executive Director, The Symbiocene Institute, and Ewan McEoin, Senior Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture, National Gallery of Victoria, the symposium, which is aligned with this year’s Design Week theme ‘Design the World You Want’ invites participants to do something radical – step into 2100 and inhabit a future that worked out. Based on a concept first proposed by Australian eco-philosopher Dr Glenn Albrecht in 2016, the Symbiocene represents a vision of what lies beyond the Anthropocene – the present – which is defined by extraction and degradation of natural systems.

More information: https://designweek.melbourne/event/its-2100-welcome-to-the-symbiocene/

In Conversation with David Holmgren | Presented by RMIT University & Symbiocene Institute & NGV

Wednesday 20 May, 2:00–3:00pm | Ticketed | NGV International

Melbourne Design Week - David-Holmgren.jpg

In this one-hour conversation with Ewan McEoin, Australian environmental designer, ecological educator, and writer David Holmgren explores the idea of the Symbiocene as he reflects on the origins and evolution of permaculture and how it is, in many ways, a founding expression of symbiotic thinking in practice.

More information: https://designweek.melbourne/event/in-conversation-with-david-holmgren/

Interior Design Today | Presented by NGV

Saturday 23 May, 11:00am–3:00pm | Free, no booking required | NGV International

Melbourne Design Week - Interior Design Today.jpg

Interior Design Today brings together leading designers, architects, developers, and creative thinkers for an exploration of how we shape, and are shaped by the spaces we call home.

Across four sessions, a range of guest speakers will consider the breadth of contemporary living: from decoding off‑the‑plan design and maximising compact spaces, to the art of curating personal collections and celebrating the distinct character of Australian‑made interiors.

Schedule:

11–11:45am: Made to Order – From Floorplans to Finishes

Speakers: Jeremy McLeod, Co-founder and Design Director, Breathe Architecture, Michael McCormack, Managing Director, Milieu Property and Qianyi Lim, Co-Director, Sibling Architecture. Moderated by Andrew Mackenzie, publisher, writer and design advisor.

12–12.45pm: Small Spaces, Big Living

Speakers: Claire Scorpo, Director, Agius Scorpo Architects and Tahj Rosmarin, Director, Card Practice. Moderated by Colin Chee, Founder and Creative Director, Never Too Small.

1–1:45pm: Living with Art – Curating the Interior

Speakers: Sophie Gannon, Director, Sophie Gannon Gallery, Ben Mazey, Artist and Fiona Lynch, Director, Fiona Lynch Office. Moderated by Kym Elphinstone, Arts Advisor and Advocate, Articulate.

2–2.45pm: The Local Edit – Australian Interior Design Now

Speakers: Sarah-Jane Pyke, Founder and Principal, Arent&Pyke, Tali Roth, Founder and Principal, Studio Tali Roth and Ingrid Richards, Founder, Richards and Spence. Moderated by Marion Joseph, Associate Director, Media and Public Affairs, NGV.

More information: https://designweek.melbourne/event/interior-design-today/

David Flack in Conversation | Presented by NGV

Tuesday 19 May, 6:30–7:30pm | Ticketed | NGV International

In conversation with NGV curator Dr Timothy Moore, David Flack, Founder of Flack Studio, one of Australia’s most celebrated interior architecture firms, will reflect on the evolution of the practice using a selection of their most recognisable projects, as he offers insights into the creative values and influences that continue to shape his work.

More information: https://designweek.melbourne/event/david-flack-in-conversation/

Mary Featherston in Conversation with Anthony Burke | Presented by National Gallery of Victoria

Wednesday 20 May, 6:30–7:30pm | Ticketed | NGV International

Melbourne Design Week - Mary Featherston.jpg

In a special after-hours conversation, acclaimed Australian designer Mary Featherston joins TV presenter and Professor of Architecture Anthony Burke to reflect on a life shaped by design, and a career that has shaped Australian design. Spanning her influential collaboration with Grant Featherston and her pioneering work reimagining educational environments, the event offers rare insights into the ideas, partnerships and values behind her enduring legacy across furniture design, exhibitions and learning spaces that continues to influence how we live, learn and create.

More information: https://designweek.melbourne/event/mary-featherston-in-conversation-with-anthony-burke/

Main image: https://designweek.melbourne/event/imagining-a-better-world-participatory-design-workshop/

All images courtesy https://designweek.melbourne/

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