Born in Oviedo, Spain, Patricia Urquiola studied at the Faculty of Architecture in Madrid, before graduating from the Politecnico di Milano in 1989 under the mentorship of Achille Castiglioni. In 2001, she founded her own studio specializing in industrial product design, architecture, art direction, and strategy consulting. She has created numerous projects and collections for Molteni&C, including the Diamond table, for which she won the 2005 Red Dot Award for Best Product.

In Spain, Urquiola has been the recipient of the Golden Medal for Merits in Art and received the Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic. In 2023, she became one of the new Honorary Ambassadors of Marca España and, in 2024, was appointed a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. That same year, she was named Cavaliere della Repubblica by the President of the Italian Republic in recognition of her achievements. In 2025, Patricia Urquiola received the National Design Award for her career from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. She has been named Designer of the Year by Wallpaper, Dezeen, Frame, Elle Decor International, AD España and Architecktur und Wohnen among other publications.

Urquiola is part of the advisory board of the Politecnico of Milan university, has taught the master’s degree in interior design at the Domus Academy in Milan (2013-2015) and has given lectures at Harvard University, Rhode Island School of Design, Michigan University, Shenkar School of Engineering and Design in Israel, at the Alvar Aalto Academy in Finland, at the State University and Bocconi University in Milan, in addition to a number of design conferences and cultural events around the world.

Patricia Urquiola’s work is exhibited in art and design museums across the world, including the MoMa in New York, the Decorative Arts Museum in Paris, the Triennale Museum in Milan, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Design Museum in Zurich, the Stedelijk Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Amsterdam, the Design Museum of Barcelona and the Philadelphia Art Museum.