Written by: Eduardo Macias
In the shop Santoni Montenapoleone during the presentation of a collection, I met the designer Patricia Urquiola, exceptional and jovial woman, grateful for the comments I made regarding her fine and subtle work in Glas Italia for their tables SHIMMER, sharing exhibition space with Naoto Fukasawa, Philippe Starck and Ronana & Erwan Bouroullec.
I had the opportunity to enjoy and to congratulate her collection Moroso, where without a doubt, my favorite was the sofa BELT, with exceptional confort contrasted with the strong tie with leather belts. Moroso (Moroso Patrizia) was the first company to house this Master, it is clear how she turns her imagination with great freedom and very prolifically in designs for this famous house of furniture.
Patricia Urquiola simply publicly acknowledges the support received by Moroso, even repeats the joke “despite having designed the house Patrizia, we are still good friends”.
It is a pleasure to see every day the achievements that the designer Patricia Urquiola has achieved based on great work and discipline which are reflected in each of her designs.
Proud to be Asturian, born in Oviedo, residing in Milan, founded her project in 2001 after working with designers such as Achille Castiglioni (mentor who chose her as his teaching assistant), Eugenio Bettinelli and Vico Magistretti.
To understand her better we must see the coexistence of her family life with her profession. Relation that certainly influences what she does with this homely warmth and color. She lives her life immersed in design. She owns a beautiful house, her study on the first floor, in the second floor the bedrooms and above all this, the garden, which is “what makes me more excited” (she says). It is common to see her accompanied by a family member in all her presentations.
At every step I go through the main designer brands I run with designs of Master Urquiola, seeking her intention, the meaning in each piece, or interpret her style becomes a pleasure that I invite you to follow or to discover if barely know some parts of it.
When I say major brands I mean: Moroso, Agape, Louis Vuitton, BMW, Alessi, Artelano, Axor, B & B Italia, Bart Design, Bisazza, Bosa, Chevalier Edition, De Padova, De Vecchi, Driade, Emu, Fasem, Flos, Foscarini, Gallotti & Radice, Gandia Blasco, Kartell, Kettal, Liv’it, LG, Peter Mabeo, MDF Italia, Molteni, Mutina, Olivari, Paola Lenti, Rosenthal, San Lorenzo, Tronconi, Vicaire.
You will find interesting videos on the web about the performance of Urquiola work, interviews and conferences that will surely bring you closer to this eloquent and interesting designer.
References:
Santoni http://www.santonishoes.com/eu/
Achille Castiglioni http://fondazioneachillecastiglioni.it/
Eugenio Bttinelli http://www.pordenonelegge.it/festival/edizione-2015/autori/2392-Eugenio-Bettinelli
Vico Magistretti http://www.vicomagistretti.it/it/la-vita/biografia
Glas Italia: http://www.glasitalia.com/prodotti.php?prod=362&grp=tavoli/consolle/scrittoi&nome-prodotto=Shimmer%20tavoli
Moroso http://www.moroso.it/ricerca-per-designer/?id_designer=260
