Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo (Spain) in 1961.
She attended the Faculty of Architecture at the Polytechnic of Madrid and later at the Polytechnic of Milan, where she graduated in 1989 under Achille Castiglioni’s supervision.
From 1990 to 1992 she worked as an Assistant of professor Achille Castiglioni and professor Eugenio Bettinelli, both at the Polytechnic of Milan and at the ENSCI in Paris.
From 1990 to 1996 she headed of De Padova’s product development department, together with Vico Magistretti.
In 1996 she became design manager at Lissoni Associati.
In 2001 she opened her own studio, with a special focus on design, exhibitions and architecture.
Her architecture projects include: two luxury hotels, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Barcelona and W Vieques Retreat & Spa (Puerto Rico), a villa in Udine, the opera scenery of Monteverdi’s “L’incoronazione di Poppea’s “; showrooms for Hermès, Gianvito Rossi, Valentino, Max Mara, H & M and the general layout of Pitti Immagine in Florence.
Among the many international awards, she was recently awarded the Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes in 2010 by the Spanish government.
Her products are displayed in the permanent collections of the MoMA in New York and other museums.