Patricia Urquiola’s eclectic approach to product design and architecture has established her as one of the key figures in contemporary design. One of the few women in the highest ranks of the field, Urquiola’s portfolio of architectural projects and product designs is as diverse as it is intensely personal – from a house for Patrizia Moroso, to the interiors of boutique hotels, to industrial design, and with products that include chairs, watches, and cutlery.
Since the opening of her own design practice in Milan in 2001, Urquiola has taken on an ever-expanding number of projects, and has worked with all the great international design houses, including Moroso, De Padova, B&B Italia, Bisazza, Alessi, Driade, and Flos, to name a few. She has designed products for BMW and Louis Vuitton; installations for Missoni, Cartier, Swarovski, Officine Panerai, and H&M; properties for Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons, and Marriott hotels; and the main pavilion at Florence’s Pitti Uomo.
Studio Urquiola is frequently asked to design not only objects and architecture, but also to think about the future of mobility, workplace and production cycles. Creating links between craftsmanship and industrial research, brand heritage together with innovation and technology, Urquiola drives companies she works with to upcycle once-waste material and tries to re-image entire processes leading them to change, evolution and innovation.
A two-time Wallpaper* ‘Designer of the Year,’ Urquiola’s work is widely known to be playful and poetic, yet pragmatic and functional, a creative combination that is the magic behind her work. She comes and goes through conventional time – rethinking, reinventing, and creating anew. The effect is a powerful reminder of the past and exploration into the now, always creating a new experience for the user.
Urquiola’s distinctive works straddle the boundary between architecture and design, the product of a rigorous, interdisciplinary education. Her products and spaces have won her acclaim for combining a bold, passionate imagination with an innate practicality. Drawing inspiration from historical precedent, her designs are often characterized by their clear lines and formal simplicity, and their irrepressible sensuality.
“Possibly the most lauded and in-demand industrial designer in Europe.”
Patricia Urquiola’s installation for Louis Vuitton at Design Miami plays around the concept of a powerful hybridization between products and nature, taken to a higher level and enhancing the topic of nomadism.
“I wanted to create a mesmerizing desert landscape, a kind of surreal presentation growing from formations and fossil-like structures that bloom together with the Objets Nomades collection.
Within this landscape, clusters grow alongside imaginary desert plants and together they create a lush desert scenery where mineral and vegetal, soft and hard will live together.”
The natural landscape invades the LV store it was abandoned over time. Each part of the space is invaded by sand dunes and other desert-like elements evoking a surreal nature.
Sand, rocks, and desert roses are harmonically distributed into the space to allow the furniture pieces to gather in small groups into this landscape, like a nomad population exploring a new territory.
The whole environment – made up of dunes, walls, columns – is finished with the same peach-rose colour with a grained texture to create a neutral environment for the furniture to be displayed. This texture is achieved by mixing cork powder into the liquid paint.
The floor is made with a recycled fine grain cement paste which is mixed with cork particles to give a natural grain to the environment.
“I wanted to create a mesmerizing desert landscape, a kind of surreal presentation growing from formations and fossil-like structures that bloom together with the Objets Nomades collection.”
The Hotel Il Sereno was built on the shores of Italy’s Lake Como, on an existing Darsena, a historical, state-owned dock. The 30-suite hotel blends with its environment, surrounded by the lake’s glistening water, the nature of the dramatic Italian Alps, and the adjacent village of Torno. It reinterprets the rationalism of Giuseppe Terragni ‘s Casa del Fascio, with a contemporary accent. Materials are natural, mostly local: Pietra di Fossena for the pavement, Ceppo Lombardo for the facade and some interiors.
The 150-square-metre Penthouse Suite is located in a building adjacent to the Sereno hotel and is accessible by a separate elevator. Like the main hotel, the design has a strong sense of place and use of natural materials from the region. The Penthouse also showcases innovative use of rich materials, including Canaletto walnut ceilings, Verde Alpi stone walls and Ceppo di Gré local stone floors.
In particular, Venetian terrazzo floors are combined with geometric tiles of Ceppo for a new and classic look, while the bedroom wall is also made of Ceppo, specially grooved to provide additional texture. Continuing with local stone, rich, green Verdi Alpi stone was chosen to cover the living room wall. Interiors feature a blend of bespoke pieces, contemprary pieces and design icons, which dialogue with each other between a large living room, a dining space, two bathrooms and a main bedroom, all offering spectacular views of the lake. Outside, guests can enjoy an additional 50-square-metre grass garden around the perimeter.
“What guests see from the view – the water, stone, greenery or boats – is reflected in the interiors of the hotel. I have tried to integrate the identity of the place in a contemporary way.”
“Inside, there are paradoxical elements of simplicity juxtaposed with opulence – this is something that is at the core of the Sereno Hotels brand and which is at its maximum expression here.”
Inspired, albeit in a very contemporary form, by the Italian architectural tradition, Architexture is a table collection of minimal and linear shapes, leaving voice to marble as a protagonist.
It includes eight tables of different heights and sizes: two circular and one rectangular dining-tables, three circular coffee-table and three circular side-tables.
The leitmotiv of the entire collection are the bases of the tables, represented by self-standing columns in marble, composed of colored rings that alternate with each other. The pictorial and veined marbles contrast with monochromatic marbles with a color-block effect, recalling the most iconic facades of the Italian Renaissance.
The volumes alternate with a decisive rhythm, allowing marble to express its charm and unpredictability. The combinations are many, following the shades of pink, of the deepest blue and green. Among these, Pink Onyx, Aquarel Onyx, Azul Boquira, Verde Lapponia, Verde Antigua and many others.
At the heart of the project is sustainability in processing: many marbles of Italian origin have been intentionally used, including Verde Alpi, Verde Borgogna, Verde Venezia, Bianco Statuario and Travertino Romano. The “TuttoGreen” Carpet, made of green marbles, also represents a method for recovering processing material coming from the feet of the tables.
Inside the company’s showroom in Milan, an extensive wall artwork is made unique by three different textures – “diamond,” “plissè” and “groove” – which produce plays of depth.
“The Architexture Collection caught our collective eye for its minimal and linear shapes.”
Patricia Urquiola designed the Cartier installation at il Sereno on Lake Como, showcasing the Sixième Sens collection together with iconic pieces from the Maison. The project aims at telling the collections’ main characteristics and narrative, while making the guests live a unique experience, which amplifies all senses.
The installation’s path develops through five thematic showcase areas: Profusion, Instinct and High Watch Making on the basement floor level, Off Frame and Tradition on the ground floor level. The Special Order Area then involved rooms on the 4th floor.
Graphics, kinetics, textural effects, evocative power are the leitmotivs of all areas, even if each space distinguishes itself for the use of colours and materials, which are approached every time in an innovative way. Especially, the glass becomes protagonist through different finishes, reproducing movement, illusions and waterfall effects. The lake is always present and accompanies the guests through their visit, gently reproducing, with its surface, the same refractions and reflections of the jewels.
‘Nature Morte Vivante,’ which translates in English to ‘Living Still Life,’ is a non-chronological retrospective of Urquiola’s design presented at the 2020 Madrid Design Festival, focusing on her industrial and craft production.
Pieces are gathered around five ‘still lifes’ that explore a series of recurrent themes in Urquiola’s line of work and mindset: ‘Cosas Transparentes’ (transparent things), a collection of significant objects in her career, connecting past and future; ‘Viajes Empáticos’ (empathetic travels) focuses on inspiration from real and imaginary travels; ‘Resistencias’ (resistances) features thought-provoking projects; questions are unleashed in the ‘Gender? What Gender?’ chapter; positive pollination in the creative process reflects in ‘Contaminaciones’ (contaminations).
Urquiola’s interest in color is reflected as a guiding thread throughout the exhibition, expressing herself through moments of rigor or exuberance, while the concern for sustainability is observed in the recurrent use of upcycling, through pieces in which recycled materials are reused to produce new objects.
The exhibition closes with a virtual reality project – an exploration around the emotions of objects – which in itself is an open question for reflection.
“Exploring the mind of Patricia Urquiola offers many surprises, among them, discovering the unexpected themes that feed her voracious curiosity: virtual reality, economy, politics, artificial intelligence, the theory of color, the Anthropocene, robotics, ecology and sustainability, gender issues, man and machines, and so on.”
Sestiere is a contemporary interpretation of the ancient mastery of glass art, typical of the island of Murano, Venice. The collection includes four vases crafted thanks to the specific production capacity of this small island and its artisans specialised in all types of glass production.
The combination of the vivid colour of the vase, a mouth-blown glass ball, and the lattice of large contrasting-coloured cords that envelop it, almost harnessing it, lends great graphic impact.
Made in Murano glass, each cord, or ‘morisa’, is applied by hand to the exterior of the vase. The ‘morise’, decorated with ‘rigadin’, the typical striped motif of the lagoon, embrace the curves of Sestiere thanks to the artisan who designs its shapes while the glass is still hot and malleable. Pleasingly imperfect, each cord is different from the others, making every vase that comes out of the furnace a unique piece, a visible and tangible expression of artisan craftsmanship.
The exhibition examines Castiglioni’s work in a transversal manner, ranging from design to architecture through to exhibition displays. The curation and installation is entrusted to Patricia Urquiola in collaboration with Federica Sala. The aim is to showcase Castiglioni’s bestselling products – most of which are still in production today – , and to tell about his simple and direct approach, his irony as well as the method he taught to generations of designers.
To give a clear picture of this timeless icon, the curators decided not to adopt a chronological or schematic approach but to show his work through a series of overlapping and intersecting aggregates of content. The idea is thus to create a map of recurrent macro and micro concepts in his designs, in a non-hierarchical, non-linear manner. The designs are thus grouped in twenty clusters and placed in relation to each other, in order to illustrate Castiglioni’s approach to design and the method he adopted in his work, from product design to large-scale architecture.
“We created a kind of rhizome, or what we call ‘the Castiglioni mind,’ a sort of map, a geography, where you can get ‘in his brain’ and follow different parts of his thoughts.”
“Rather than presenting it as a linear retrospective of Castiglioni’s work, Urquiola and Sala have infused the show with the kind of playfulness and humor that those close to Castiglioni remember him best.”
Missoni’s flagship store in Manhattan opened on Madison Avenue in 2019. The store concept reflects a reinterpreted, contemporary vision of the brand, hosting all its collections in an intimate and luminous environment.
The 355 square-meter space plays on the brand’s iconic elements, channelling the surrounding urban moods. Materials evoke the intricacies of Missoni’s motifs, made from recycled materials. Texturized resin walls juxtapose the Celosia brick; open ceilings expose colourful crisscrossing pipework; eco-friendly cement flooring creates a worn vintage effect; chevron fabric wallpapers adorn vertical surfaces. Grey oak wood, bespoke textured rugs, retro- display cases mingle throughout the space.
“Patricia Urquiola has been able to make my dream come true – not only is she a huge talent, but she understands the Missoni DNA and how to bring it to life.”
Patricia Urquiola designs the fourth IGNIV restaurant of the starred chef Andreas Caminada, in cosmopolitan Bangkok. Located within the St. Regis hotel, the 150-square-meter space welcomes 55 guests in a refined and contemporary environment.
Patricia Urquiola wanted to reproduce the typical embracing atmosphere of IGNIV by conveying the idea of a warm and intimate cocoon where to dine in absolute intimacy. Nevertheless, the fine-dining location also communicates details of Asian culture in a subtle and never predictable way.
A distinguishing feature of IGNIV Bangkok is the fact that it opens up to the city thanks to Patricia Urquiola’s choice of large windows, letting natural light in and making it dialogue gently with a vivid color palette and vegetation inside. Still, at the same time, the restaurant results to be a retreat from the busy city life. A realm of privacy.
“The IGNIV Bangkok interior architecture is a cocoon, in which colors and light play gently with the volumes to give a feeling of coziness.”
Almendra is a modular, customizable and extensible lighting system designed for contract environments that have captured the new contemporary living and hospitality needs: spaces that, when it comes to aesthetics, atmosphere and sensuality, are inspired by residential.
Designing in an almost biophilic way, with Almendra Urquiola thought of a module whose shape resembles that of two shells of an open almond, connected by a central pin. It is from here that, thanks to a LED source, the light is diffused and comes out evenly and occupies the entire open surface. The module, assembled on a linear or curved shaft, can be set to obtain a series of solutions: with 3, 4 or 6 lights, which can be positioned downwards or upwards.
The Almendra module was made, both in the opaque and in the transparent side, with a polycarbonate derived from a by-product of paper production: tallolja in Swedish and tall oil in English (literally pine oil). This viscous liquid, which escapes naturally during the process of extracting cellulose from wood during the production of paper, has been used for years to produce inks. Thanks to recent technologies, however, it is now used to obtain a polycarbonate that has all the characteristics of the traditional one.
The absence of adhesives has several advantages: first of all, it makes it very easy to replace the LEDs through the Flos after-sales service, in the event that malfunctions occur. Secondly, Almendra can be disassembled and each part can be recycled correctly depending on the material it is made of: to facilitate correct disposal, the indications with the recycling class have been engraved on the aluminum body and polycarbonate petals.
The shaft and the lighting fixture on which the Almendra modules are placed are instead made of extruded aluminum, 100% recyclable.
“Nature is just the best example of modularity.”
Patricia Urquiola designs the interiors of JW Marriott hotel lounge and reception, located on the 7th floor of the building in Seoul city centre.
The different area are defined by very high curtains that create a sort of theater scene, giving privacy but letting see trough at the same time. The large entrance is divided into different environments that include two lounge areas and two meeting areas, in addition to a bar and a reception area.
The curtains are conceived in order to give acoustic comfort and privacy to the different scenarios, without separating them completely, so the guests can see other people around, but are able to enjoy their private conversation.
The design concept for the launch of the new 7 Series, BMW X7 and 8 Series, at the BMW Welt showroom in Munich stems from a recent advertising campaign, with pictures of BMWs against the blue/green shimmer of a frozen lake. The installation plays with this concept of light, changing and adapting to materials and textures through a physical interaction.
The floor consisted of a dark green terrazzo infill, created with cutting-edge 3D-technology, combined with organic lines with 3D-printed elements. The result is a single liquid-like surface. An undulating metal mesh acts as a rigid curtain for the space’s floor-to-ceiling windows, reflecting the shades of green and blue from the cars’ metallic paint.
“Urquiola creates exquisite products and luxurious spaces – but always with a warm heart, a central thread of humanity and a personal narrative.”
The renovation project has involved all common areas: the lobby, the Zelo restaurant, the Stilla bar, outdoor areas and courtyard. The goal was to renew the space, while respecting the history of the hotel and simultaneously entering into a dialogue with the urban context of Milan. The hotel’s personality is deeply expressed through a language of sober colors and pure shapes that refer to the sixteenth-century heritage.
Patricia Urquiola studied the relationship between light and spaces, the central theme of the common functions that always overlook the courtyard. Consequently, the palette is made of natural and light colors, but also of nuances that reflect the precious original frescoes.
An ambitious project, this extension of the Four Seasons Hotel in Milan dealt with the incorporation of a modern spa in the original architecture of the hotel, a 15th century convent. The spa preserves the vaulted ceiling (dating from a later period, the 19th century, while adding to the facility seven treatment rooms, a swimming pool, a Turkish bath and a sauna.
“Urquiola’s renewed spaces artfully balance a fresh new style while preserving the Hotel’s timeless allure and sophisticated beauty.”
Patricia Urquiola has worked with Off-White™ on a limited edition (only 30 units) design of their iconic Jitney Bag, reinterpreted in a new texture.
Its high-frequency print is a nod to the 3D walls inside Tessabit Bellagio boutique, partner of the project.
The design also features the classic arrow-shaped lock, emblem of the Maison. Another element that adds to the collaboration is the additional scarf in vibrant tones that can be styled on the top handle of the bag.
“Virgil and I have always wanted to collaborate, and we thought that Tessabit was a great opportunity to do so. The project has come together very naturally.”
Cassina Perspective is an installation held during Milan Design Week in 2019, at the company’s Via Durini showroom. The concept meant to bring a digital dimension in a physical reality, in a perspective of concepts. It is a play on perspectives, meetings and conversations between products, a shared space between heritage and innovation.
A blue perspective grid envelops part of the showroom, from the floor to a part of the walls, housing the window area, expanding towards a digital background. The grid continues to the central area with a diorama, a scenography developing in a circular space, corresponding with the sculptural staircase and dome.
"The new project is different. It is an installation that does not show architecture, and its structure, like last year: it is rather a scenography, a story, a narration that plays in a different way with the space.”
Black lines define the perimeter of floating shapes and identify the single letters that compose the phrase “We all come from Venus.”
A mission statement that alludes to Graffiti Art, also applied in the collection’s hypnotic texture: a vortex of color inspired by the intriguing atmosphere of Venus. Completely hand-knotted by Tibetan artisans, the decisive black lines of the design are hand-carved to gently rise in a soft and curved 3D form, which is repeated in the silhouette of the rugs, a tribute to feminine archetypes.
The Venus Power collection is a group of 4 rugs: Weallcomefromvenus, Nuvola, Cirrus and Venus, all available in 3 different color combinations: blue, pink and green.
“We all come from Venus. If everyone – men and women – considered and embraced every aspect of themselves, we could add more dimension and color to the way we approach everyday life.”
To offer a comprehensive look at her expansive portfolio of architectural projects and product designs, Rizzoli published the first monograph on the works of Patricia Urquiola, ‘Time to Make a Book.’ The charmingly titled tome presents prototypes, process images and sketches alongside polished studio imagery of her most intriguing work spanning the 12 years since the founding of her eponymous design practice in 2001.
Urquiola’s approach very distinctly toes the line between design and architecture, often resulting in colorful pieces with both a strong physical footprint and striking visual appeal, examples of which can be seen in everything from a private home she designed for Patrizia Moroso – in addition to many smaller-scale furniture works for the Moroso brand – and chairs for Kartel to timepiece and dinnerware for Alessi. Alongside the rather straightforward looks at past designs, the book also includes a forward by Murray Moss and an essay by Gianluigi Ricuperati.
This inspiring book captures the fervid energy of Urquiola’s life and work, in an unprecedented and striking design object as innovative and intimate as her body of work.
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