A three-stage residency — Discover, Develop, Advance — pairs up to 10 Qatar-based creatives with Liberty London and local partners to turn Qatari heritage into contemporary fabrics and potentially enter Liberty’s 2028 interior collection.
A new Qatar–UK design residency launched by the British Council, Liberty London, Liberty Home Msheireb and Doha Design District will support up to 10 Qatar-based artists and designers through research, mentorship and an overseas residency.
Launch activities included a three-day induction with guided visits to cultural and natural sites across Qatar to inform textile design based on architecture, native flora, marine environments and living traditions.
Partners frame the initiative as both talent development and international exchange intended to expand Qatar’s creative sector and connect local designers to global networks.
# What happened
On 22 September a strategic partnership agreement was signed at Liberty Home Msheireb to launch Living in Pattern: Fabrics Inspired by Qatari Heritage. The initiative is a collaboration between the British Council, Liberty London, Liberty Home Msheireb and Doha Design District, powered by Msheireb Properties.
The residency links Qatar-based creatives with Liberty London to support the translation of local cultural and natural heritage into contemporary textile designs. It aims to combine local research and mentorship with an immersive London residency alongside Liberty's design team.
# How the residency works
The programme is organised in three stages: Discover, Develop and Advance. Up to 10 Qatar-based artists and designers begin the programme. After an assessment stage, five designers will progress to an intensive development phase. Selected participants will then undertake a mentorship residency in London with Liberty. From the final outputs, up to two original artworks created during the residency may be chosen for inclusion in Liberty London's 2028 Interior Fabric Collection.
# Early activities and research focus
The launch included a three-day induction programme that introduced participants to Qatar's natural history and architectural traditions. Designers took guided visits to museums, cultural institutions and natural sites to explore how architecture, native flora, marine environments and living cultural traditions can inform modern textile design.
# What partners say and the programme's aims
Hassan Al Emadi, Chief Commercial Officer of Msheireb Properties, framed the project as drawing on local history to inspire modern innovation and creating opportunities for emerging creatives to engage with Qatar's landscapes while accessing international expertise and platforms. Dr Waseem Kotoub, Country Director for the British Council Qatar, highlighted the residency's role in connecting designers to international networks and hands-on learning ahead of the Qatar–UK Creative Industries Skills Forum.
Genevieve Bennett, Head of Design for Home & Interiors at Liberty, described Liberty Home Msheireb as a meeting point between British creative heritage and contemporary Qatari culture and said the programme pairs Liberty's archive and design expertise with the imagination of emerging Qatari designers.
# Why it matters locally and internationally
The residency is positioned as a capacity-building programme for Qatar's creative industries. It combines research, mentorship and cross-cultural exchange with the potential for direct commercial exposure through inclusion in Liberty's interior fabric line. The programme also coincides with the first anniversary of Liberty Home Msheireb, underlining the retail space's role as a local platform for cross-cultural collaboration.
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