Patricia Urquiola
Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo, Spain in 1961 and moved to Milan to study at the prestigious Polytechnic University. There she studied under the iconic Italian architect and designer Achille Castiglioni. After graduating, Urquiola worked as a lecturer at the university.
During the same period, she also started a collaboration with the Italian company DePadova, where she quickly became an important member of the team. Together with the legendary Vico Magistretti, she created many successful collections. Among these are the Flower chair and the Loom sofa.
Between 1993-1996, Urquiola shared a studio with the architects Renzio and Ramerino, which led to her involvement in architecture for various showrooms and restaurants, as well as a great deal of franchising. In 1996, Urquiola became director of the Lissoni Associati Group and worked for Alessi, Boffi, Cappellini and several other internationally renowned brands. In 2001 she opened her own design studio and today designs her own products for Cassina, B&B Italia, Bosa, Kartell, MDF Italia and a host of other major brands. She was also chair of the jury for the 19th CDIM Design Award in 2001 and chair of the Domus Academy. She has received numerous 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 House. Urquiola's designs are on display at the Design Museum of the World, which is part of the permanent exhibition at MoMA in New York. Urquiola has designed many unique pieces for Italian Cassina, and we at the Nordic Gallery are proud to distribute them. Urquiola has also visited our shop and talked about her design practice.
