Patricia Urquiola's passion for design started at a young age, when she was 18-years-old she decided she wanted to become an architect and studied architecture in Madrid. She then fell in love with design after she studied Achille Castiglioni’s course in Milan. Urquiola, to this day, still looks up to
Achille Castiglioni as being fundamental in her personal and professional development as a designer.
After being taught the value of design by Castiglioni and iconic Italian designer
Vico Magistretti, Patricia Urquiola opened her own studio in 2001. This is where she worked on product designs, architecture, and installations with classmates from her years studying in Milan.
Patricia Urquiola has since worked alongside many iconic brands and designers learning and creating products such as the
Tatou collection for Flos. Urquiola uses her designs to create emotions, from the design itself to the materials used. The Flos Tatou is an example of this, Urquiola explains 'Tatou has an emotional sound to it, which I think is consistent with the emotional function of this object'.