Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo, Spain, and studied architecture at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. She has received the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts from the Spanish government and the Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic. In 2023, she was appointed Honorary Ambassador of Marca España. In 2024, she became a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic by the President of Italy for her achievements. In 2001, she opened her own studio in Milan, working across architecture, design, art, creative direction, strategic consulting, installations, graphic design, and concept development. Patricia Urquiola has been the Art Director of Cassina since 2015 and collaborates with major national and international companies including Flos, Moroso, Driade, GAN, Andreu World, Glas Italia, cc-tapis, Kettal, Kvadrat, Haworth, BMW, Boeing, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, and Missoni. Her most significant architectural projects include Casa Brera, Six Senses Rome, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Barcelona, Das Stue Hotel in Berlin, the spa at the Four Seasons Hotel in Milan, and Il Sereno Hotel on Lake Como. She has also designed showrooms and installations for Cassina, the Venice Biennale, BMW, Missoni, Moroso, Ferrari, Swarovski, and Santoni.