Open Call for two international design residencies

Temporary Home 2027 is calling for dreamers from UK and Malaysia

di BASE & BRITISH COUNCIL
design
designweek
temporaryhome

BASE Milano and British Council are looking for emerging designers practising in the UK and Malaysia to join a residency programme that extends beyond Milan Design Week.

Applications open until 27 November 2026.

Temporary Home 2027 is an international design residency programme combining research, mentorship and experimentation, culminating in a public showcase at BASE during Milan Design Week, 12–18 April 2027.
Temporary Home brings together five designers from around the world to explore new approaches and possibilities in design.
Extending beyond Milan Design Week, the programme offers time, resources and space, with casaBASE becoming a temporary home and creative workspace.

EACH SELECTED DESIGNER RECEIVES

↘ A dedicated budget that covers designer project fee / Perdiems during residency Materials budget / Travel costs
↘ Curatorial mentorship and research development support
↘ Accommodation in a private room at casaBASE during the on-site residency
↘ A dedicated exhibition space during Milan Design Week
↘ Technical support and design assistance from the BASE team
↘ Opportunities for exchange with fellow residents, designers and creative professionals
↘ Communication support and visibility across BASE Milano and Temporary Home channels

The 2 chapters of the residency program

CHAPTER 1.
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

One—week residency to be scheduled between December 2026 and February 2027

The first phase is dedicated to exploring ideas, defining research directions and developing project proposals alongside the Temporary Home curatorial and mentorship team.
Designers will engage with the programme’s curatorial framework, connect with mentors and begin shaping their projects through research and exchange.

CHAPTER 2.
RESIDENCY & SHOWCASE

12–18 April 2027 | Milan Design Week

During Milan Design Week, the selected designers will join the Temporary Home community at BASE Milano. Their projects will take shape through an Open Studio format, opening the creative process to visitors, fellow residents, design professionals and the public.
The residency offers the opportunity to exchange ideas, develop new connections and become part of an international creative network that extends beyond the exhibition itself.

Who we are looking for
(Elegibility criteria)

↘ All Design Disciplines.
↘ All backgrounds & ages.
↘ Applicants must have an active design practice based in the UK or Malaysia, depending on the call. Eligibility is based on where designers practise, rather than their nationality or country of birth.

It is a shared call with two different selections and application forms:

UK—BASED DESIGNER

READ THE FULL PRESENTATION
APPLICATION FORM

Total project budget of €5,100

DESIGNER BASED IN MALAYSIA

READ THE FULL PRESENTATION
APPLICATION FORM

Total project budget of €6000

OUR CALLS ARE OPEN TO ALL

BASE and the British Council are committed to a culture that is open and accessible to everyone, where accessibility is not an additional service but a fundamental principle. We work to create spaces, programs, and practices that enable full participation for all: people with different abilities, backgrounds, bodies, and sensibilities.


We believe that culture truly comes to life only when it is accessible, shared, and experienced through a plurality of perspectives.
This is why we are committed to removing physical, communicative, and symbolic barriers, and to building a place where every voice can be heard and every experience welcomed.

2027 EDITION
/ CURATORIAL FRAMEWORK

DAYDREAMING —
Design Week 2027 @ BASE

What if imagination was not an escape,
but a way of redesigning the present?

Dreaming is never separate from the world we live in.
Our environments, experiences and social conditions shape what we can imagine.
Daydreaming asks us to question who has the time, space and freedom to dream — and whose visions remain unseen.

To think of daydreaming as a situated practice means questioning not its contents, but its conditions: who can afford to dream, where, for how long, sheltered from which pressures? Which imaginaries become shareable, and which remain confined to the invisible? Design enters this field not to illustrate the dream, but to design its conditions of possibility: the spaces, objects, devices, and relations that determine who imagines, what, and with which tools.

* Applicants are encouraged to consider how their research connects with the Daydreaming framework and its different fields of experimentation.

IN COLLABORATION WITH BRITISH COUNCIL

A shared commitment to accessibility, visibility, and the power of emerging voices.

This renewed collaboration brings together international talent and fresh perspectives for
a new edition of Design Week.

FAQ

CHAPTER 1.

Dec. 2026 — Feb. 2027*
One week of research, mentorship & project development.

*This first stage of the residency may be digitally delivered, any travel expenses are included in the overall budget.

 

CHAPTER 2.

Exhibition period: 12th – 18th April 2027
Designer Arrival: 2 to 3 days prior to installation
Designer Departure: 1 – 2 days after the closure of the event

 

27th November 2026

You can have a look at the full presentations!

↘ Call for a UK—based designer

↘ Call for a designer based in Malaysia

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