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Patricia Urquiola

Spanish, b. 1961

Spanish-born, Milan-based architect Patricia Urquiola doesn’t lack for commissions these days, and, unlike the work of many other high-concept architects, her projects tend to get constructed, envelope-pushing though they sometimes are. And when she’s not imagining covetable creations for contemporary furniture houses — including B&B Italia, Driade and Cassina, where she was named art director in 2015 — Urquiola makes headlines by designing some of the world’s most aesthetically ambitious hotels, such as 2016’s Il Sereno on Lake Como in Lombardy, Italy.

Born in Oviedo, in northern Spain, Urquiola grew up in a family that valued creativity. Everyone in the house, she says, talked and cared about design. She fondly remembers her mother going to London in the 1960s and ’70s and coming back home with a Mary Quant this, a David Hicks that. When it came time to go to university, Urquiola decided that her place was architecture school, first at the Polytechnic University of Madrid and then at the Polytechnic University of Milan, where she completed her design thesis — a felt carpet with a panel that connected to a home’s electricity source and telephone line so that you could plug, say, a table lamp and your phone into it — under the direction of legendary Italian industrial designer Achille Castiglioni.

Today, Urquiola has become a go-to when it comes to avant-garde product, hospitality and retail design, working with such blue-chip international furniture, fashion and hotel companies as Alessi, Baccarat, Salvatore Ferragamo, Kvadrat, Mandarin Oriental, Panerai, Rosenthal, W Hotels and Louis Vuitton, among many others. Her residential projects, meanwhile, though few and far between, stretch from such far-flung locations as Punta del Este, Uruguay, and Melbourne, Australia, to closer-to-home Udine, in northeastern Italy, where she designed the two-story, largely open-plan glass-and-cedar home of Patrizia Moroso, creative director of the family-owned design company that bears her last name.

Over the course of a long-term and highly productive collaboration spanning some 20 years, Urquiola has created dozens and dozens of Moroso-branded products. A chair from her 2001 Fjord line of seating, tables and poufs for the company sits in the collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, and Moroso debuted (love me) Tender, her modular sofa system upholstered in jersey, during Milan’s Salone Internazionale del Mobile in April of 2014.

Find Patricia Urquiola furniture on 1stDibs.

Set of 4 Kartell Jellies Espresso Cup in Pink by Patricia Urquiola
By Kartell, Patricia Urquiola
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Jellies Family, which heralded a new way of perceiving tableware by using transparent products moulded with various relief patterns, has been expanded to include new elements suc...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Patricia Urquiola

Materials

Plastic

SHIMMER Small Round Mirror, by Patricia Urquiola from Glas Italia IN STOCK
By Glas Italia, Patricia Urquiola
Located in Macherio, IT
Shimmer Specchi mirror is shown here in the extra light glass. A series of mirrors in extra light glass. Made with refined processing techniques, a degrading shaded silvering mix and the magnificent iridescent metachromatic finish, a feature of the Shimmer collection. A magical, fascinating and animated mirror, continuously variable according to the angle of the light source and the vantage point. Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo (Spain) in 1961. Lives and works in Milan. She attended the School of Architecture of Madrid Polytechnic and Milan Polytechnic, where she graduated in 1989 with Achille Castiglioni. From 1990-1992 she was assistant lecturer to both Achille Castiglioni and Eugenio Bettinelli in Milan and Paris. From 1990-1996 she was responsible for the new product development office of DePadova, working with Vico Magistretti. In 1996 she became head of Lissoni Associati’s Design Group. In 2001 she opens her own studio working on product design, architecture, installations. Amongst her last projects of architecture: Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Barcelona and W Retreat&Spa a Vieques (Porto Rico); a villa in Udine; scenography of the opera “L’incoronazione di Poppea” by Monteverdi; showroom and installations for Hermès, Gianvito Rossi, Flos, Moroso, H&M and the general concept of Pitti Immagine Firenze. She designs for the most important Italian and international firms as Agape, Alessi, Andreu World, Artelano, Axor, B&B Italia, Bart Design, Bisazza, BMW, Bosa, Budri, Chevalier Edition, Il Coccio, De Padova, De Vecchi, Driade, Emu, Fasem, Salvatore Ferragamo, Flos, Foscarini, Gallotti & Radice, Gandia Blasco, Glas Italia, Kartell, Kettal, Kvadrat, Mixing Media, Maurice Lacroix, Liv’it, Peter Mabeo...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Patricia Urquiola

Materials

Glass, Mirror

Shimmer Console Table, by Patricia Urquiola for Glas Italia
By Patricia Urquiola, Glas Italia
Located in Macherio, IT
Shimmer console table is shown here in the laminated and glued glass. The collection is available in high tables, low tables and consoles in lami...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Patricia Urquiola

Materials

Glass

BISEL Coffee Table, by Patricia Urquiola for Glas Italia IN STOCK
By Patricia Urquiola, Glas Italia
Located in Macherio, IT
Collection of high tables, low tables and console, made in multi-layered and multichromatic glass, created by laminating five slabs of 5mm extralight glass each with a different colored film. The obtained glass sheets are in different shapes, shiny ground polished and “faceted” by means of unique bevels accentuating through the transparency of the glass the stunning multicolored material. The different components are then welded together in total clarity, by means of a special gluing technique, so creating very precious “furniture jewels”. Available in green or ochre finish. Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo (Spain) in 1961. Lives and works in Milan. She attended the School of Architecture of Madrid Polytechnic and Milan Polytechnic, where she graduated in 1989 with Achille Castiglioni. From 1990 to 1992 she was assistant lecturer to both Achille Castiglioni and Eugenio Bettinelli in Milan and Paris. From 1990 to 1996 she was responsible for the new product development office of DePadova, working with Vico Magistretti. In 1996 she became head of Lissoni Associati’s design group. In 2001 she opens her own studio working on product design, architecture, installations. Amongst her last projects of architecture: Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Barcelona and W Retreat&Spa a Vieques (Porto Rico...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Patricia Urquiola

Materials

Glass

SHIMMER Large Round Mirror, by Patricia Urquiola from Glas Italia IN STOCK
By Patricia Urquiola, Glas Italia
Located in Macherio, IT
Shimmer Specchi mirror is shown here in the extralight glass. A series of mirrors in extralight glass. Made with refined processing techniques, a degrading shaded silvering mix and the magnificent iridescent multichromatic finish, a feature of the Shimmer collection. A magical, fascinating and animated mirror, continuously variable according to the angle of the light source and the vantage point. Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo (Spain) in 1961. Lives and works in Milan. She attended the School of Architecture of Madrid Polytechnic and Milan Polytechnic, where she graduated in 1989 with Achille Castiglioni. From 1990 to 1992 she was assistant lecturer to both Achille Castiglioni and Eugenio Bettinelli in Milan and Paris. From 1990 to 1996 she was responsible for the new product development office of DePadova, working with Vico Magistretti. In 1996 she became head of Lissoni Associati’s Design Group. In 2001 she opens her own studio working on product design, architecture, installations. Amongst her last projects of architecture: Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Barcelona and W Retreat&Spa a Vieques (Porto Rico); a villa in Udine; scenography of the opera “L’incoronazione di Poppea” by Monteverdi; showroom and installations for Hermès, Gianvito Rossi, Flos, Moroso, H&M and the general concept of Pitti Immagine Firenze. She designs for the most important Italian and international firms as Agape, Alessi, Andreu World, Artelano, Axor, B&B Italia, Bart Design, Bisazza, BMW, Bosa, Budri, Chevalier Edition, Il Coccio, De Padova, De Vecchi, Driade, Emu, Fasem, Salvatore Ferragamo, Flos, Foscarini, Gallotti & Radice, Gandia Blasco, Glas Italia, Kartell, Kettal, Kvadrat, Mixing Media, Maurice Lacroix, Liv’it, Peter Mabeo...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Patricia Urquiola

Materials

Glass, Mirror

SHIMMER Long Iridescent Mirror, by Patricia Urquiola from Glas Italia IN STOCK
By Patricia Urquiola, Glas Italia
Located in Macherio, IT
Shimmer Specchi mirror is shown here in the extralight glass. A series of mirrors in extralight glass. Made with refined processing techniques, a degrading shaded silvering mix and the magnificent iridescent multichromatic finish, a feature of the Shimmer collection. A magical, fascinating and animated mirror, continuously variable according to the angle of the light source and the vantage point. Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo (Spain) in 1961. Lives and works in Milan. She attended the School of Architecture of Madrid Polytechnic and Milan Polytechnic, where she graduated in 1989 with Achille Castiglioni. From 1990-1992 she was assistant lecturer to both Achille Castiglioni and Eugenio Bettinelli in Milan and Paris. From 1990-1996 she was responsible for the new product development office of DePadova, working with Vico Magistretti. In 1996 she became head of Lissoni Associati’s design group. In 2001 she opens her own studio working on product design, architecture, installations. Amongst her last projects of architecture: Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Barcelona and W Retreat&Spa a Vieques (Porto Rico...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Patricia Urquiola

Materials

Glass

GAN Spaces Nuances Pouf by Patricia Urquiola
By Patricia Urquiola, GAN Rugs
Located in New York, NY
The Nuances collection consists of three rugs and a pouf made by hand. Investigating with different colors and densities, Patricia Urquiola was able to reinvent the wool felt, giving...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Patricia Urquiola

Materials

Wool

Moroso Redondo Small Armchair by Patricia Urquiola
By Moroso, Patricia Urquiola
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An armchair with a distinctive two–part shape, the padded shell embraces the huge seat cushions. Its curves are shown off by the total absence of sharp corners and the softness of th...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Patricia Urquiola

Materials

Steel

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Patricia Urquiola furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Patricia Urquiola furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Patricia Urquiola furniture, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 3 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 637 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Patricia Urquiola were created in the modern style in europe during the 21st century and contemporary. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Sabrina Landini, Philippe Starck, and Flos. Prices for Patricia Urquiola furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $110 and can go as high as $34,843, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,032.

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