In the opinion of Patricia Urquiola – or of the Ettore Sottsass she quoted at her induction into Spain’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts last year – design begins where rational processes end and magic begins. Working without ceasing to dream has led the Milan-based Asturian architect to enrich functional logic and serialized production with formal innovation, material seduction, and color, giving rise to creations that figure as much in the catalogs of top brands as in the collections of institutions like the MoMA or the Vitra Design Museum. Nevertheless, since starting her own practice in 2001 she has combined assignments for objects and furniture with commissions for residential projects, art installations, and interiors: as the 2025 National Design Award celebrates, nothing escapes her imagination.
