Described by the New York Times as "possibly the most lauded and in-demand industrial designer in Europe, on par with Philippe Starck ". Female Spanish designer, Patricia Urquiola is a leading light in world of European architecture and interiors.
Born in 1961 in Oviedo, northern Spain, Urquiola studied architecture in Madrid, before continuing her education in Milan, where she graduated in 1989, under the mentorship of Achille Castiglioni. It was Castiglioni that encourage Patricia towards product design. Her design career started with a series of successful collaborations with Castiglioni, Botticelli and Pierro Lissoni. In 1996, she was appointed the head designer for the interdisciplinary studio Lissoni Associati. In 2001, Urquiola opened an office in Milan, which today has a team of 70 people. Studio Urquiola’s work ranges from product design to interiors, architecture to exhibition and event design
Her work is inspired by the materials, techniques and figurative traditions from her Spanish homeland, reinterpreted in a contemporary and innovative way. She often uses recycled materials like glass, terracotta and plastic to create products combining excellent artisanship with technical innovation. Her creations have a traditional and familiar aesthetic, yet at the same time are characterised by originality and uniqueness.
Each project starts by building an empathetic connection with the user who will eventually interact with her designs; a discipline she learned from Castiglioni. The initial connection is essential for Urquiola, it keeps the project focussed on the fundamental connection, always thinking about the space or product in relation to people.
As a designer, Patricia Urquiola believes in merging humanistic, technological and social approaches. Through this process, she often finds unexpected connections between the familiar and the unexplored. A process perfectly executed with her collaboration with BMW Welt to design a new showroom for the BMW 8 series. Urquiola expanded the idea of ‘freedom’, one which she feels best describes luxury.
In 2022, Urquiola entered the world of fashion creating the Signature Collection for Weekend Max Mara – Habito. Using her architectural knowledge about how we inhabit spaces, Urquiola used the same philosophy for her collection, with amazing results. Habito is collection of eye-catching of contrasting graphic patterns, colours and textures with roomy, wide silhouettes.
Over the years, Urquiola has designed some iconic pieces and spaces for some of the leading design brands, including Agape, Alessi, Baccarat, BMW, Emu, Louis Vuitton, Molteni, Moroso to name a few.
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