Eugeni Quitllet

The Spanish designer brings a dreamlike, futuristic touch to industrial design. Born in Ibiza in 1972, Eugeni Quitllet is a Spanish designer. He graduated from the Barcelona art school ‘La Llotja’ and subsequently began his career in design. He describes himself as an ‘industrial dreamer’. His career began whilst working alongside the renowned Philippe Starck – he is also the only designer to have co-designed pieces with Starck. This creative partnership, which began in 2001, led to around fifty collaborations on projects with numerous companies such as Kartell, Flos, Emeco and Magis. It was some ten years later that he founded his own studio in Barcelona.

It is by going beyond the conventional framework of function versus style that he revolutionises his world with new objects. For Quitllet, industrial design and creativity are means of giving shape to new realities through an optimistic vision of the future. It is indeed the future that is the designer’s obsession and what matters most to him. His design practice is highly diverse, highlighting his many facets. He draws, sculpts and practises contemporary archaeology. His various activities are reflected in the skeletal structures of highly sculptural objects that play on the interplay between solid and void with elegance and a touch of humour. He strives for elegance by synthesising form and function, leading him to create global bestsellers.

One of his signature pieces remains the Masters chair, created in 2009 for the Italian brand Kartell. It pays homage to – and blends – three legendary seat contours by Eames, Saarinen and Jacobsen. His clean, sculpted lines define the Catalan designer’s signature style, which has earned him numerous awards and brought him international renown.