Patricia Urquiola, one of the century’s most prolific designers, is FRAME’s 2023 Lifetime Achievement winner. The Spanish-born, Milan-based designer blends architecture and design like nobody else.
It's hard to talk about design and not think of Patricia Urquiola. Born in Oviedo, Spain, in 1961, she has dominated the design scene throughout the 21st century. At trade fairs, in magazines and online: she – or her products – have been present front and centre since the early noughts.
But before we get there, let’s start with a brief history of Urquiola's skyward development in the last century. After studying at the Politecnico di Milano, she became an assistant lecturer to Italian design icon Achille Castiglioni. ‘The teachers in Milan, some of whom were architects, were very good designers,’ she told FRAME a few years ago. 'One course was called Industrial Design within Architecture, which didn't exist in Madrid. I became both architect and designer.'
Ceramics manufacturer Mutina enlisted Studio Urquiola to develop a headquarters in its home base of Fiorano Modenese, Italy. The interiors are furnished with bespoke pieces by Urquiola and leading brands including Cassina, Vitra, Moroso and more.
In 2018, Urquiola designed and curated the exhibition space for a show on the work of Achille Castiglioni, at La Triennale di Milano. It was a collaboration with Federica Sala.
After her Politecnico stint, she started working for the product development department of De Padova under the guidance of another Italian great, Vico Magistretti. He was instrumental in her deep interest in textures. She then found shelter with Piero Lissoni’s studio and eventually became head of Lissoni Associati's design department, getting to know what it meant to work for a great variety of clients.
With the invaluable experience she gained from three of Italy's great design maestros under her belt, she founded her studio in Milan in 2001. Combining strong, architectural forms with sensual textures, she quickly stood out in the male-dominated Italian design world. Her use of colour was (and still is) as expressive as her way of speaking: anyone who has ever spoken with her will undoubtedly remember how her gesticulating hands support her passionately delivered waterfall of words.
Bold and iconic, Moroso's Mr Loveseat, originally developed by Urquiola in 2000, was iterated upon by the designer this year.
Photo: Agostino Osio
A vibrant red space by Urquiola hosted Echoes, 50 years of iMaestri, an exhibition held to celebrate the half-century anniversary of Cassina's iMaestri line.
Her big break came when she started working with Patrizia Moroso, who asked her to design sofas for her family business. As Urquiola says, collaborating with Moroso boosted her credibility. She didn’t just design sofas either – the work extended to chairs, tables and even the company's exhibition stands. The collaboration continues to this day, but doesn’t stand in the way of her working for other brands. Her client list reads like a who's who in contemporary design: Alessi, B&B Italia, Flos, Kartell, Kettal, Laufen, Mutina – it goes on. Since 2015, she has also served as Cassina’s creative director.
‘Empathy is key when working with different brands,’ shares Urquiola. 'You have to feel and understand the person in front of you, from the inside, even though you arrive from the outside. You have to respect their roots, their heritage – to focus and give it your all. Then you can move from company to company.'
Tarkett's highly tactile Desso & Patricia Urquiola collection was born from an 18-month partnership. The fully recyclable products are shortlisted for FRAME Awards 2023.
She no longer focuses on furniture alone. She has designed almost every conceivable interior product, from washbasins to lamps and tiles, at least once. It is striking that her designs have distinct characters, who, like actors, bring spaces to life. It's unthinkable that there's an appealing hotel lobby or reception area without her work. And even without people inside, these spaces feel anything but empty. The hesitant first visitor immediately feels at ease among her characterful creations.
Perhaps that is why she is asked to furnish hotels, and especially to design trade-fair stands, showrooms and exhibitions. But it’s not only her architectural skills that come to light here. In these spaces – intended to welcome visitors, provide an immersive experience and tell stories – her gift for turning products into characters, waiting for an audience to be looked at and used, is at its best.
Photo: Luca Rotondo
The interiors of hotel Six Senses Rome place distinct focus on guest wellbeing and connection to nature.
‘The architectural process is not necessarily longer than the design process,’ Urquiola says. 'Sometimes it takes longer to put a piece into production or to optimize a new technique than it does to realize an architectural project. As a designer, though, I have less distraction and fewer people to deal with. Architecture is complexity.'
What's next for her? ‘When I have a goal, I keep it quiet,’ she tells us. 'If you reach it, it's not interesting anymore, and if you don't reach it, you get frustrated.'
