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Humans are at the centre of everything Patricia Urquiola designs. Considering spaces and objects in relation to people, the acclaimed designer and architect has a reputation for her experimentation, research and pioneering outlook, which are tangible in the SONAR collection and the design of LAUFEN space Madrid.
Born in Oviedo in 1961, Patricia Urquiola is an award-winning Spanish designer. She studied architecture and design at the Polytechnic University of Madrid before continuing her studies at the Polytechnic University of Milan. The renowned Italian architect and designer Achille Castiglioni supervised Urquiola’s thesis and she graduated in 1989.
Urquiola subsequently worked as an Assistant Lecturer to Achille Castiglioni and later led the product development office at De Padova, where she collaborated closely with Vico Magistretti. These experiences were instrumental in the foundation of Studio Urquiola, which she opened with her partner, Alberto Zontone, in Milan in 2001.
Studio Urquiola specialises in industrial product design, architecture, art direction and strategy consulting. The 100-person team is composed of architects, interior designers, product designers, textile designers and model makers. Clients include Agape, Alessi, Axor-Hansgrohe, B&B Italia, Baccarat, Boffi, Budri, De Padova, Driade, Coedition, Ferragamo, Flos, Gan, Georg Jensen, Glas Italia, Haworth, Kartell, Kettal, Kvadrat, Listone Giordano, Louis Vuitton, Molteni, Moroso, Mutina, Rosenthal, Verywood and LAUFEN.
The starting point for each project is the person who will interact with the finished product. Urquiola builds a relationship based on empathy with the user and maintains it throughout the design process in which she constantly experiments, researches and innovates in the pursuit of improving the status quo.
Multiple international art and design museums include Urquiola’s work in their permanent collections, including the MoMA in New York, the Decorative Arts Museum in Paris, the Design Museum in Monaco, the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Design Museum in Zurich, the Stedelijk Museum of modern and contemporary art in Amsterdam and the Philadelphia Art Museum.
The creative’s work has been recognised by international prizes and awards, including the Spanish National Design Award, the Gold Medal in Fine Arts awarded by the Spanish Government and His Majesty The King of Spain Juan Carlos I, the Order of Isabella the Catholic awarded by His Majesty The King of Spain Juan Carlos I, the Leonardo da Vinci International Lifetime Achievement Award for design, Designer of the Decade by German magazines Home and Häuser, Designer of the Year by Wallpaper, Ad Spain, Elle Decor International and Architektur und Wohnen Magazine, in addition to the Red Dot Design Award, the iF Design Award, the Elle Decor International Design Awards, the Archiproducts Design Awards, the Dezeen Awards and the Frame Awards.
Following a successful collaboration with the design of LAUFEN space Madrid, LAUFEN asked Urquiola to build on Konstantin Grcic’s work on texture in VAL and explore the creation of a third dimension in the bathroom. The resulting collection, SONAR, pushed new boundaries with Saphirkeramik, requiring a new production process to be achieved. Launched in 2017, the collection received the 2018 iF Award and Interior Design’s Best of Year Award 2018.
SONAR represents a continuation of LAUFEN’s exploration of the potential of Saphirkeramik, its pioneering ceramic material. Heightening tactility and sensuality, Urquiola designed the pieces in the collection to be appealing to touch with bare skin, enhancing the experience of daily rituals.
The external surfaces of the washbasins in the collection feature bold ridges, resembling sound waves travelling through water. Inspiring the name of the collection, this daring detailing represented an unprecedented level of texture in sanitary ceramics.
The collection’s design language plays with arcs and angles, with the form of a “D” recurring in the different elements comprising the collection. These minimalist lines create a sense of lightness, which is emphasised by the reliefs decorating the exteriors of the objects.
With its textured external surface and integrated ledge, the freestanding SONAR bathtub creates a sculptural centrepiece. It is complemented by elegant accessories: a practical tray for essentials and a soft headrest for enhanced comfort and relaxation.
Marc Viardot, Director of Marketing and Products, sought a collaboration with Patricia Urquiola as he admired both her work and her personality. Urquiola shares a zest to continually evolve, advance and better objects, spaces and the world with LAUFEN, a brand that has pioneered the first solar-powered electric tunnel kiln for sanitary ceramics, ultra-fine and resilient Saphirkeramik and the wall-hung toilet, among other ground-breaking inventions. The SONAR collection captures this joint spirit in its fine forms and tactile textures.
