Bohemian

The Bohemian series if a family of sofa, bergere, chase lounge, armchair and pouf. The lines of these chairs are very fluid, conveying soft, irregular, enveloping, casual lines as if the fabric were melting over the frame. The upholstery comes in fabric or leather is fixed to the shell frame with press-studs.

Like the Volant series, the sofa is personified as a human being. The sofa is appeared to be “wearing” a shawl blanket thrown over its shoulders. The structure bends backwards to further accentuate this feature. Furthermore, the seat is meant to be layered upon, like extravagant fashion statement outfits, with assorted cushions, fabric blankets with unalike textures and textiles and faux fur. 

The result is a classically refined, contemporary and sophisticated furniture displaying layered and mixed cultures and traditions, colors and textiles, with a sense of lavishness and modern richness. Patricia Urquiola took a classic design and turned it into a modern form. These are currently manufactured by Moroso

Antibodi

Patricia Urquiola has created another piece that unique and so full of spirit. She draws many of her inspirition from nature, flowers in particular. The design of this chair blossoms from a “cellular” breed of petals. These petals are sewn in angular connecting shapes, creating plenty patterns all over the surface of the chair where one actually sits on.  The “petals” are made from felt and wool fabric or wool and leather that is reversible and creates a comfortable supper covering a stainless steel metal frame. The petal cover has flexibility with two different types of looks: petals facing upwards for a more feminine, unconventional mood, or facing downwards for a fixed quilted look.

Volant

Volant armchair

Volant chair

Patricia Urquiola created many series of seats in her career, but I would like to share with you some of her most popular and my most favorite pieces along with her concept for each of them.

Here is a series that she designed for Moroso. Its part of one of her projects that she’s been working on, the research of the “skin of objects.” The Volant series includes a range of sofa, armchair, chair and stool with altered proportions.

These are basic and self-sufficient upholstered chairs where the upholstery fabric is not just a cover, not just fabric, but also an element that actually defines and creates the product. 

Concept: “It has something of a Balenciaga dress or a Shogun’s robe. Using the body as a basis for transformation. Hiding the legs. Lined for greater comfort, greater beauty. An extremely elegant evening dress.” - Patricia Urquiola

Volant Sofa

Patricia Urquiola describes these chairs as "wearing" magical “evening dresses” and with dresses, there are a lot of flexibilities with the personality, style or look according on the mood of the person using it. The seat is transformable by changing the upholstery or “dress”. For a less formal, short outfit, the seat may be “dressed” in simpler upholstery. Additionally, for a more fitted look, remove the extra fabric to show off the seat’s casing, showing off the frame and highlighting its shape.

The frame base is a shape of a trapezium, connecting the back and the seat. The shape is a contrast between regularity and irregularity, with sharp angles and a clashing illusion of right angles. The seat looks flat, but in actuality is has curved sections to provide extreme comfort. The seat is made of polyurethane foam for added comfort.

Back view of the volant chair

      

Philosophy

Patricia Urquiola has been focusing on Italian design from an early date and is very much influenced by the mentors of her past. For one, working with Vico Magistretti was an important experience in her career. Legendary Achille Castiglioni was also important in her career in that he taught her how to directly and intuitively approach a project and to develop pleasure from her work. Patricia Urquiola claims, and it is always mentioned in her interviews, that these two men were the most important guidance to where she is today, not only with theories and ideologies, but also with playfulness and perception. She says that the main reason why she is so hardworking now and so able to hop from one project to the next is because Magistretti and Castiglioni have helped her avoid style constraints and inflexibility.

Lights designed for Foscarini Caboche

Urquiola is all about flexibility and adaptability. She enjoys focusing on design of interchangeable components without using modular features. Her strong belief in good quality innovations results in pieces with a strong sense of function and practicality with a lot of freedom. Being interested in “behavior structures”, she likes to think in different scales at the same time.

Urquiola's work is about creating new ways of living. She’s not interested in the old meanings of living or traditional uses of conventional objects; she is concerned only with new and refined ways of living. Her goal is to create environments designed to encourage positive feelings and company. She loves to further reach this goal by creating design that is environmentally friendly and topping off almost everything with a fun color or graphic print.

Dinnerware designed for Rosethal and Unica home

Her designs are inspired by an array of different aspects. For example, the works of the Eame’s, the Scandinavians and Franco Albini, as historic motivation. Contemporary designers Jasper Morrison, the Bouroullec brothers, and Konstantin Grcic also inspire her. Certain designs can also be stimulated from memory or aspects of her life, sometimes emotional other times more simple.

Bohemian Rhapsody

 

Bohemian Chaise Lounge

Tropicalia armchair

I have to admit, I wasn’t instantly too crazy over her pieces when I first looked up Patricia Urquiola, but after researching about her personal style and philosophies, I have grown to adore her, and most of all, her designs. Funny story, there's this sofa that I've had my eyes on for months now and I have been begging my boyfriend to buy for our new loft, but he has been rejecting the idea of purchasing a sofa that costs over $8000 dollars. Recently, I've pulled out the catalog, trying to convince myself that it's not worth the money, and it turns out that its one of Patricia Urquiola's designs. I thought to myself, "Ah, of course - it all makes sense now!" Is it awful that I want it even more?

Anyway, it comes to prove that you can’t always judge someone’s designs at first glance. Urquiola takes great passion in her works and many of her pieces originates from the heart. After all, there is a reason why she was honored the most influential female product designer for several decades.

Tropicalia cocoon

She likes to describe her personal style as eclectic, varied and diverse. I see her designs as spontaneous and playful, her motto especially fitting to that idea: "Design as the mood takes you." She also describes her style as "vigorous and free"Many of her crafts are drawn upon ethnic cultures, mainly Spanish and Italian traditions. She uses this technique to soften up some of her bold designs and add more of a cultivating touch. Without trying to imitate the one culture or completely adopting it, she loves to create a fusion mix driven by different cultures and traditions.

Antibodi

By brilliantly combining cultures and periods, Patricia’s style results in slick, contemporary, refreshing, and unconventional looks. To add to her multicultural flair, she articulates feminine and floral references, all collectively with a minimal approach. Her passion is incorporated as attention to detail is visible in every piece.

All her styles in interiors, architecture and product designs have a similar luxuriousness catering, but not limited to, the cosmopolitan conservative. Her design style is distinctively known to be a touch of extravagance, diversified with a traveling Bohemian chic.

Her style of clean lines, several playful elements, feminine graphic and sense of freedom is unmistakable. Experimenting with both form and material, her position in the modern world is to be creatively inventive, using a strong force of function and practicality.  She loves creating intriguing and imaginative products that not only one can live with, but that can improve one's life. Crowned designer of the year in 2006, Patricia Urquiola has created and is continuing to create many innovative furniture to enhance the lives of people across the continent. 

Hurricane

Patricia Urquiola is a Spanish architect and designer who was born in Spain, but is considered to be an Italian icon. After moving from Spain at the age of eighteen, and being educated with the highest academic standards in Italy, she became heavily influenced and motivated by the Italian culture. She is now one of the most important figures of modern Italian design, payable to her architecture, interiors and most importantly, and her furniture and product designs.

Patricia Urquiola was born in a town in Northern Spain called Oviedo, in 1961. Her mother had a degree in philosophy and encouraged independence, while her father was a basque engineer, who loved playing the piano. She described her parents as “open minded”, both of whom she got most of her most valuable traits from. Traits such as: her intellectual, feminine concept thinking from her mom; and her mechanically creative and hands-on techniques from her father.

Urquiola studied architecture at the Faculdad de Arquitectura and graduated at the age of 28 at the Milan Polytechnic with a thesis mentored by world-renowned designer and architect, Achille Castiglioni. Achille was known for using a minimal amount of material to achieve a maximum effect. I believe it was his influence upon Urquiola that fashioned her to be so conscious of the economy and environment. Also, Achille was the one who turned her focus away from architecture and encouraged her education towards product design.

At the age of 30, after a decade of education (which she doesn’t not recommend), she finally worked for a furniture company, De Padova, Milan, as head of the product development office. This is where she collaborated with internationally renowned designer, Vico Magistretti, to design her first chair, Flower; sofa, Loom; and horizontal chair, Chaise Longue. These chairs are now universal iconic furniture pieces.

In-between 1993-1996 she was heavily involved with architectural planning of buildings, interior design, showrooms and restaurant design, but she always had a niche for product designing. In 1998, she started her first big partnership with firm Moroso to create elegantly irresistible upholstered furniture; of which are debatably most her finest works yet.

Since then, she has involved herself in numerous professional movements with countless design and architectural companies of international reputation. Nicknamed the “hurricane” for her nonstop, vigorous work ethics, and following her own firm in Milan of 2001, her current works includes projects for B&B Italia, Kartell, Molteni, Moroso and countless more.