Patricia Urquiola kitchen utensils

Patricia Urquiola 1961

Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo, Spain in 1961 but moved to Milan to study at the renowned Polytechnic University. There she studied under the iconic Italian architect and designer Achille Castiglioni. After graduating, Urquiola had the opportunity to work as a teacher at the university.

Early collaborations and career development

During the same period, she also started a collaboration with the Italian furniture company DePadova where she quickly became an important asset. Together with the legendary Vico Magistretti, she created many pieces of furniture that became great successes. These include the Flower chair and the Loom sofa.

Between 1993-1996, Urquiola shared a studio with architects Renzio and Ramerino, which led to her involvement in architecture for various showrooms and restaurants, as well as a lot of franchising. In 1996, Urquiola became head of the Lissoni Associati Group, working for Alessi, Boffi, Cappellini and several other internationally recognised brands.

In 2001, Urquiola opened her own design studio and now designs independently for Cassina, B&B Italia, Kartell, MDF Italia and many other major brands. She also chaired the jury for the 19th CDIM Design Award in 2001 and was a lecturer for the Domus Academy. She has received several awards for her work. These include Designer of the Year in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008, the Red Dot Award in 2005 for best product and Designer of the Year by Wallpaper magazine in 2006. In 2011, Urquiola was awarded the Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes by the Spanish Royal Family. Urquiola's designs are displayed in design museums around the world, including the Fjord armchair on permanent display at MoMA in New York. Urquiola has designed a large number of unique pieces of furniture for the Italian company Cassina, of which we at NO GA are proud retailers. Urquiola has also visited our store and lectured on her design work.