Patricia Urquiola

Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo, Spain, and currently lives and works in Milan. She studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the Polytechnic University of Milan, where she graduated in 1989 under the mentorship of Achille Castiglioni. She worked as an assistant lecturer for Achille Castiglioni, collaborated with Vico Magistretti, and was Head of Design at Lissoni Associati. In 2001, she founded her own studio, specializing in product design, interior design, and architecture. Among her most recent architectural projects are the Museo del Gioiello in Vicenza, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Barcelona, the Das Stue Hotel in Berlin, the Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel in Milan, the Room Mate Giulia Hotel in Milan, and Il Sereno Hotel in Como. She has also worked on retail and exhibition projects for brands such as Gianvito Rossi, BMW, Cassina, Ferragamo, Flos, Missoni, Molteni, Officine Panerai, H&M, Santoni, and Pitti Uomo in Florence. She has designed products for leading Italian and international companies, including Agape, Alessi, Axor-Hansgrohe, B&B Italia, Baccarat, Boffi, Budri, De Padova, Driade, Flos, Gan, Georg Jensen, Glas Italia, Haworth, Kartell, Kettal, Kvadrat, Listone Giordano, Louis Vuitton, Molteni, Moroso, Mutina, Rosenthal, and Verywood. Some of her works are part of the permanent collections of major art and design museums, including MoMA in New York, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the Museum of Design in Zurich, the Vitra Design Museum in Basel, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and the Triennale Design Museum in Milan. She has received numerous international awards, including the Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts from the Spanish government and the Order of Isabella the Catholic, awarded by King Juan Carlos I of Spain. She has been named “Designer of the Decade” by Home and Häuser magazines and “Designer of the Year” by Wallpaper, AD Spain, Elle Decor International, and Architektur und Wohnen. She was also an Ambassador for Expo Milano 2015 and has been the Art Director of Cassina since September 2015.