Patricia Urquiola

Born in 1961 in Oviedo, Spain, Patricia Urquiola moved to Milan shortly after completing her master’s degree in architecture in Madrid. There, she studied design at the Polytechnic University and wrote a thesis under the supervision of Achille Castiglioni.

She became head of development at De Padova in 1990, then began designing interiors for projects such as restaurants, shops and showrooms across numerous countries, from France to Japan via Italy.

She opened her own agency, Studio Urquiola, in 2001, specialising in industrial design, architecture, art direction and strategic consultancy. The designer draws inspiration from her wide-ranging experiences and travels to adopt techniques that combine craftsmanship with industrial methods. She creates objects that embody elegance, charm and femininity. As well as being named Designer of the Year in 2008, Patricia Urquiola has several of her works in the permanent collections of the MoMA. Her botanical touch is particularly evident in her interior design work for the hospitality sector.

“We need to wake up in the morning and know where we are. And then, when we leave, something of the place must remain with us: an image, a sensation, a feeling, a touch…”

Her strong personality shines through in her collaboration with Coedition on the Altay armchair collection. Here, she presents her vision of the living room: a blend of comfort and materials that are as rare as they are elegant, such as her Mongolian goatskin armchair.

The designer is also known for her collaboration with the brand Kartell, for whom she has designed several collections. Together with them, she has developed moulds to create pieces made entirely of plastic and moulded in a single piece. These feature unique, eye-catching colours that lend a contemporary touch to chairs modelled on 18th-century designs.