Dean Norton ‘Between Planes’
Dean Norton’s exhibition ‘Between Planes’ transforms the ground-floor of Hotel House into an immersive landscape of floating glass and mirrors for Melbourne Design Week 2026.
For Essex-born, Melbourne-based designer Dean Norton, ‘Between Planes’ suggests a liminal space – a slippage between states of matter, perception and being. It echoes his ongoing investigation into furniture, lighting and objects that use reflective and transparent materials to play with sensation and depth. “The name speaks to a continued study of these materials and the space between them, where perception starts to shift and reflections change depending on how you move through them,” he explains.
Glass, steel, mirrors and timber have been key to this exploration since Norton founded his eponymous studio in 2017, and his award-winning body of work is defined by refined, linear forms and a luxurious, industrial minimalism. For example, the Float collection of sculptural tables is crafted entirely in glass and shift in form depending on the viewing angle. Similarly, the Looking Glass series draws on the idea of self-reflection and discovery, utilising colour, light and mirrors to create surreal, anaglyphic portals.
In this exhibition, however, he is going bigger. Norton invites visitors into an immersive installation where large-scale new editions to the Looking Glass series made of gold mirror and dichroic glass are positioned in warm timber frames, appearing to float in mid-air. As guests move slowly and thoughtfully through the shimmering space, surfaces refract and reflections fragment, animating the interiors and playing with each person’s perceptions. Pieces from the installation will be available for purchase during the show.
With a focus on Australian manufacturing, ‘Between Planes’ brings collectible design together with local craftsmanship. Guests will also be able to purchase new editions of the Containa vase in two sizes and the Containa paperweight, both made specifically for the exhibition. These works were created in collaboration with Melbourne glass artist Hamish Donaldson, a third-generation glassblower whose engraved and layered vessels bring a contemporary flair to the ancient tradition.
With Hotel House’s chic yet relaxed setting in a historic 1854 bluestone terrace, the exhibition offers a moment for calm and reflection during the bustle of Melbourne Design Week. “I hope it offers somewhere quiet and immersive, where people can slow down and settle into their own experience of the work,” he says.
Norton will be onsite to present the four-day exhibition, with a special event on 16 May from noon to 3pm, where guests can enjoy the works alongside a complementary tipple of Scotchmans Hill wine from the Bellarine Peninsula.
‘Between Planes’ is on show at Hotel House, 434 Queens Parade, Fitzroy North, from 14-17 May, 9am-5pm.
