Patricia Urquiola is a Spanish architect and designer.
Spanish by birth, and Italian by choice, Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo and studied architecture in Madrid before graduating from the Milan Politecnico in 1989. The key words for her work are: precision and emotion, innovation and mental comfort.
She was mentored by some of the giants of Italian industrial design: Achille Castiglioni oversaw her graduate thesis, and Vico Magistretti collaborated on 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 collaboration with Maddalena de Padova (1990), with Piero Missoni (1996-200), and her partnership with Patrizia Moroso (since 1998).
Her designs are unconventional, flexible, 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.
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 Carlson Marriot, 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.
