Patricia Urquiola

Patricia Urquiola (born 1961) is a Spanish architect and designer.

Spanish by birth, and Italian by choice, Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo, Spain and studied architecture in Madrid before graduating from the Milan Politecnico in 1989. The key words for her work are: rigour and emotion, innovation and mental comfort. She was mentored by some of the masters of Italian industrial design: Achille Castiglioni oversaw her graduate thesis, and Vico Magistretti, with whom she designed her first projects. She learned her craft in Italy, and opened a studio in Milan in 2001, where she has developed a truly global enterprise. Some highlights from her career include her encounter with Maddalena de Padova (1990), her collaboration with Piero Lissoni (1996-2000), and her partnership with Patrizia Moroso (since 1998) which led to the design of the Step Sofa, eventually debuting at the Saloni Milano and launching her into the spotlight at the young age of 40. Amidst all of these accomplishments, she had a stint at Lissoni Associati, beginning in 1993, where she developed furniture for Italian giants Cappellini and Cassina. Her designs are unconventional, emphatic, and experimental, blending humanist sensibilities and technical expertise – qualities that also inform her work as an architect. The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Barcelona is one of her many architectural projects.

Urquiola's focus has always been on craft, which was a sensibility from the 19th century. Much of modern industrial design focuses on materials and manufacturing which risks design losing precision in handmade quality. Urquiola always makes a point to visit hand-made craft museums wherever she chooses to travel.

She has received numerous accolades and awards over the years, and in 2011 she was awarded the Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes and the Order of Isabella the Catholic by King Juan Carlos I of Spain.

Some noteworthy collaborations include : Agape, Alessi, Andreu World, Axor, B&B Italia, Baccarat, Beko Arçelik, Bisazza, BMW, Budri, Coalesse, De Padova, Driade, Emu, Flos, Foscarini, Gandia Blasco, Glas Italia, Kartell, Kettal, Kvadrat, Molteni, Moroso, Mutina, Louis Vuitton, Rosenthal, Viccarbe, Molteni&C, Officine Panerai, Missoni, Ritz Carlton Marriott, Design Hotel, Haworth and Boffi.

Several of her pieces are displayed in museums and her Fjord armchair is part of MOMA New York's permanent collection.

She designs for Agape, Alessi, Andreu World, Artelano, Axor, B&B Italia, Bart Design, The City of Bilbao, Bisazza, BMW, Bosa, Budri, Chevalier Edition, Il Coccio, De Padova, De Vecchi, Dior, Driade, Emu, Fasem, Salvatore Ferragamo, Flos, Foscarini, Gallotti & Radice, Gandia Blasco, Glas Italia, Kartell, Kettal, Kvadrat, Maurice Lacroix, Liv’it, Louis Vuitton, Peter Mabeo, MDF Italia, Molteni, Moroso, Mutina, Olivari, Panasonic, Paola Lenti, Rosenthal, Champagne Ruinart, San Lorenzo, Tronconi, and Viccarbe. Consulting for Moroso, Honda, LG, Panasonic, the Singapore Government, and the Qatar Museum Authority. Artistic direction for Mutina.

"Objects must communicate," Urquiola said. "There should always be a hint of irony, humor or sensuality. I think with my hands. I'm my own client."

Patricia Urquiola New Products Salone del Mobile 2014

• Pear Cut copper color – a new type of coloring (showroom) for Agape
• Nub - chair for Andreu World
• Husk - sofa (3 compositions) and Tabàno – armchair and pouf (1 variation – 5 items) for B&B Italia
• Cast products for Beko
• H2O Bilbao – jug for Bosa
• Kitchen Salinas for Boffi
• Bookcase, washbasin, table, coffee table, vases, boiserie, desk for Budri
• Rever dining armchair (4 variations), Luna (bookshelf – 2 variations) and Altay chair, Altay sofa, Altay coffee tables for CoEdition
• Bandas carpets (6 colors) for Gandia Blasco
• Coffee tables for Glas Italia
• Clap armchair (Fiera) and Jellies collection: Underplate, plate 1, plate 2, plate 3, Bowl, Jar, Glass 1, Glass 2, * Glass outdoor, Dessert bowl) for Kartell
• Roll armchair and Mesh sofa, Mesh tables for Kettal
• Gliss-up (2 compositions wardrobe) and Bow Bedside table for Molteni
• Tender – Love me tender (five compositions) and Clarissa hood armchair, Mathilda chair, Mafalda armchair for Moroso
• Tierras (tiles 8 colors) and selfstanding modular systems for Mutina
• Conca – door handle for Olivari
• Logenze – Carpets for Rucksthul
• Special edition Clarissa lounge armchair with Santoni leather for Santoni
• Zantilam armchair for Verywood

Additional Products

• Lazy Chair – a dining chair that is part of a family of furniture designed for B&B Italia

• Marsh, Emilie (July 23, 2004). "Woman's Work". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved June 26, 2016. 
• Saville, Laurel (2006). Design secrets: furniture. Gloucester, Massachusetts: Rockport Publishers. pp. 56–57. ISBN 1-59253-218-7. 

• 2010 Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Barcelona, Spain
• 2010 W hotel Starwood Group, Vieques, Puerto Rico, USA
• 2012 Spa, Four Seasons Hotel, Milan, Italy
• 2012 Das Stue Hotel, Design Hotel Group, Berlin, Germany
• 2013 Santoni new boutique, Milan, Italy

Recently completed

• Mandarin Oriental Hotel Barcelona Extension
• Flos Stand Light & Building Frankfurt
• Flos Stand Euroshop Düsseldorf
• Missoni Shops Berlin, Moscow, Riyadh, Doha
• Santoni Shop Lugano

In progress

• Hotel Sereno Lago di Como, Torno, Como, Italy
• Oasia Hotel, Singapore
• Private House, Melbourne, Australia
• Missoni Shops Venice, Bodrum, New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Casablanca
• Officine Panerai Shops Florence, Paris, Hong Kong, New York, Miami
• Santoni Shop New York
• Gianvito Rossi Shops London, New York, Tokyo
• Pitti Uomo, Florence
• Haworth Showroom Chicago
• Haworth Stand, Orgatec, Cologne
• Jewelry Museum, Vicenza
• Distillato Restaurant, La Jeune Rue, Paris
• Restaurant, Doha
• Qatar Museum Authority Shop, Doha

• 2003 Galleria Alina Espacio, Mallorca, Spain.
• 2003 Pakhuis Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
• 2004 Interieur, Kortrijk, Belgium.
• 2005 Ideal House, IMM, Cologne, Germany.
• 2006 “P.U. Ajuar”, Casa Pasarela, Madrid, Spain.
• 2006 “Pelle d’asino – Donkey Skin”, Verona, Italy.
• 2007 “Dance No.2”, Kölnischer Kunstverein, Art Gallery, Cologne, Germany.
• 2007 “Dance No.3”, SuperSpace, Belgrade, Serbia.
• 2008 “Chasen”, Flexibility, Le Nuove, Turin, Italy.
• 2008 “Purely Porcelain”, London Design Museum, London, UK.
• 2008 “No-where-Now-Here”, Laboral, Contemporary Art Museum, Gijon, Spain.
• 2009 Muzeum Sztuk Użytkowych, Poznań, Poland.
• 2010 “Macrosterias”, Art Basel, Switzerland.
• 2010 “Cosas”, Valencia, Spain.
• 2010 “Contempling The Void”, Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY, USA.
• 2010 Art Basel 41, Basel, Switzerland.
• 2011 “Ossimori”, Casabella Lab, Milan, Italy.
• 2011 “All Ambiq”,Design Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
• 2011 “Interior Trends”, IMM, Cologne, Germany.
• 2011 Luminaire Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
• 2011 “All Ambiq”, Venice Art Biennale, Venice, Italy.
• 2011 “Creative Junctions”, National Museum of China, Beijing International Design Triennial, Beijing, China.
• 2011 Luminaire Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
• 2011 “O’Clock- Design del Tempo, Tempo del Design”, Triennale Museum, Milan, Italy.
• 2012 “All Ambiq”, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY, USA.
• 2013 “O’clock – time design, design time”, CAFA Art Museum, Beijing, China.
• 2013 “Glasstress”, MUDAC, Museum for Design and Contemporary Applied Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland.
• 2014 "Gathering" exhibition by Li Edelkoort & Philip Fimmano approaches, Design Museum Holon

• http://museum.cafa.com.cn/en/Exhibitions/time%20design%20%20%20design%20time/Text

2011

• Order of Isabella the Catholic, Awarded by His Majesty The King of Spain Juan Carlos I, Spain.
• Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes (Gold Medal of Fine Arts), Awarded by His Majesty the King of Spain Juan Carlos I, Madrid, Spain.
• Inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame, Awarded by Cindy Allen and Interior Design Magazine.

2012

• Steelcase 100 Minds from around the world, USA.
• A&W Architektur und Wohnen ‘Designer of the Year’, Germany.
• IMM Cologne, Best of Best of the Interior Innovation Award, Husk Chair by B&B Italia

2013

• European Health & Spa Award, No. 1 in Best Hotel Spa for the Mandarin Hotel Oriental, Barcelona, Spain
• Elle Deco International Design Awardsfor the outdoor furniture Category, Collection Cottage by Kettal
• iF Design Award Gold in the furniture category with lounge collection Hosu for Coalesse.
• Wallpaper Magazine Design Awards, Best trend, Azulejo tiles by Mutina.
• Milan Design Award, Best installation “The Revolving Room” for Kvadrat at Moroso Showroom during Milan Design Week
• Australian International Design Award, Furniture and Lighting category. Hosu, Coalesse (Steelcase)
• Red Dot Design Award, Hosu, Coalesse (Steelcase)

2014

• 100 Españoles, for one of the 100 most important Spanish people being recognized in her professional activities
• Premio Marisa Bellisario for the “Most significant woman” who has achieved great and important goals and who represents the hope and future of our economy and also is the best ambassador of Italy in the world, Rome
• Elle Deco International Design Awards for Husk Bed by B&B Italia
• Red Dot Award for CAST Built-in Oven by Arçelik A.S
• iF Design Award Gold for CAST Built-inn Oven by Arçelik A.S
• Gold Award for Systems for the Openest collection by Haworth, Chicago
• Best of NeoCon Competition for the Openest collection by Haworth, Chicago

• http://www.interiordesign.net/idtv/detail/572/. 

• Products for B&B Italia
• Official site
• Patricia Urquiola Furniture Designs
• Marble Inlay Projects by Patricia Urquiola
• Patricia Urquiola at the Venice Biennale

• http://www.bebitalia.com/it/designer/patricia-urquiola.html
• http://www.patriciaurquiola.com/ patriciaurquiola.com
• http://www.bonluxat.com/d/patricia-urquiola.html
• http://www.budri.com/en/designers/patricia-urquiola/index.html
• http://www.glasstress.org/event_2011/artist/patricia-urquiola/7_98 Glasstress