The Edition

Spanish architect and designer Patricia Urquiola has been named interior designer of the year at the Dezeen Awards 2023 ceremony.

The Designers of the Year category rewards the best emerging and established talent across architecture, interiors and design. It recognises creatives whose innovative work has made a notable impact on the industry.

Urquiola was awarded the prize at the Dezeen Awards 2023 party last week, which was hosted in partnership with Bentley.

Born in Oviedo, Spain, Urquiola pursued her architectural education at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and later at the Politecnico di Milano in Milan, where she is currently based.

Throughout her studies, she was mentored by Italian architect and designer Achille Castiglioni.

Establishing her eponymous studio in 2001, Urquiola has since assumed the role of art director at the Italian furniture manufacturer Cassina, which she has held since 2015.

Urquiola regularly collaborates with various design companies, including Moroso, Kvadrat, Boffi and Flos.

The architect describes her design approach as “merging humanistic, technological and social approaches to find unexpected connections between the familiar and the unexplored.”

She took home the award at the Dezeen Awards 2023 ceremony last week, which was held at Shoreditch Electric Light Station in London and attended by shortlisted studios along with past and present judges.

“Recent projects have demonstrated a sensitive response to both contemporary and heritage environments, while adding Urquiola’s signature colour contradictions, rich textures, flourishes of greenery and a strong dialogue between craft and the industrial,” the judges said.

“Urquiola works across furniture and products, as well as architectural projects, yet it was her studio’s interior projects that attracted the judges.”

Urquiola was also selected as the winner of the hotel and short stay interior of the year category for Six Senses Rome, in which Urquiola converted a historic Roman palazzo into a luxury hotel.

Originally constructed in the 15th century, the space underwent a restoration by Urquiola, which uncovered a grand central staircase and a UNESCO-listed facade.

As a nod to the city’s history, the designer incorporated plasterwork crafted from an ancient Roman building material called cocciopesto in the rooms, in which fragments of earthenware or brick were blended with lime and sand.

Urquiola also recently designed an exhibition to showcase the archive of Cassina’s iMaestri furniture collection to mark its 50th anniversary, which took place at the Palazzo Broggi during Milan design week.

The exhibition featured pieces from renowned designers such as Charlotte Perriand, Le Corbusier and Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Urquiola was up against four other shortlisted designers in the interior designer of the year category, including Copenhagen-based designer David Thulstrup and Stockholm design studio Halleroed.

The Designers of the Year were nominated and shortlisted by Dezeen Awards judges and Dezeen’s editorial team.

A total of 31 studios, spanning 14 countries including South Africa, India, Nigeria and Mexico, were shortlisted for awards in six distinct Designers of the Year categories.

Each category’s winner will be showcased in an exclusive video produced by Dezeen and sponsored by Bentley. The videos will be unveiled on Dezeen from November 30 to December 7.