Patricia Urquiola

“I always think that the project that I’m working on will be the best” – Patricia Urquiola

Spanish architect and designer Patricia Urquiola is considered to be one of the best in the business of interior designing in the world currently. An inspiration to many, she does not ceases to amaze people with her creations. EXIN Magazine takes a look at her splendid career throughout the decades.

Born in 1961, Patricia studied architecture in Madrid before graduating from the Milan Politecnico in 1989. She designed some of her initial projects with Achille Castiglioni and Vico Magistretti. She learned her craft in Italy, and opened a studio in Milan in 2001, where she has developed a truly global enterprise.

Patricia’s designs are unconventional, emphatic, and experimental, blending humanist sensibilities and technical expertise.

She has designed for Alessi, Axor, B&B Italia, Flos, Four Seasons, Kartell, Mandarin Oriental Hotels, Molteni, Moroso, Mutina, Rosenthal, W Hotels, among others.

For her work, she has won various prizes throughout the years, including the International Design Yearbook, IMM Cologne, Good Design Awards of the Chicago Athenaeum, Red Dot Award, Elle Decoration International Awards, etc. The Spanish government and the King of Spain have given her the Gold Medal of Fine Arts and the Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic. Her products are present in the permanent collection of various museums such as Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and Triennale Milano in Milan. In 2011, she won the German Design Award, the most prestigious official design award in the country, for a wash basin from the Axor Urquiola bathroom collection.

Her powerful design has made her a global superstar. Patricia’s distinctive style combines a minimalistic approach with floral references, creating designs that are simplistic yet playful. With sensuous extravagance, she mixes styles, patterns and materials to suit her own personal taste. She has indeed come a long way to carve a niche for herself in the interior designing industry.