How Italian architect Patricia Urquiola is driven to tell stories and experiences through furniture designs by Cassina

Under her artistic direction, Patricia Urquiola has brought together an imaginative blend of past and present in the Cassina collections presented in showrooms worldwide

In April, when I visit the Cassina boutique in Milan during the city’s titular design week, I am quickly taken by its vibrant spaces. That knack for colour is conveyed in even more dramatic fashion at the Echoes, 50 years of iMaestri exhibition by Cassina, which is also being held that same week. It is an installation that its art director, Patricia Urquiola, insists I must visit, as we talk about all things Cassina on a rainy spring day.

When I do see it for myself the following day, its impact is immediate. Held in a former bank dramatically cloaked in red lighting, it feels like the set of an action film. Urquiola made literal the idea of raiding the Cassina furniture archives by displaying collectible pieces in various cinematic vignettes: in one room, armchairs hang on harnesses while in the bank vault, iconic seats are set on sand dunes and concrete cubes.

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Above Patricia Urquiola, in the Cassina showroom in Milan (Portrait photography: Valentina Sommariva)

Beyond these dramatic flourishes is a passion for design. It’s a fervour that is keenly felt when I speak with Urquiola about the next steps for Cassina, under her continued artistic direction. The iconic Italian brand has presented its new and refreshed collections, dubbed The Cassina Perspective, in eye-catching scenes in showrooms around the world; in Singapore, Cassina is available exclusively at W. Atelier. Here, Urquiola tells us what it means to work with such a storied brand—it will celebrate its centenary in 2027—while discussing its new collections.

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Above The Cassina Moncloud sofa features a metal skeleton wrapped in fibre padding made from recycled plastic

Could you tell us more about your vision for Cassina, as its art director?
It’s been very interesting because we are learning together. We don’t only introduce products. We want to tell stories and experiences. Working with the archives, the maestros, new designers; [these add] many layers [so that] we tell our story better.

[While] we are still working with designers like Philippe Starck, last year we also introduced [new collections] by Italian architect Antonio Citterio and emerging Dutch designer Linde Freya Tangelder. I was very proud that we gave Linde an award [for her work]; she’s moving from ottoman to lighting design for Cassina. There’s also a very multifaceted [approach] to Tobia Scarpa’s work; we are reproducing some of his products that were in the Cassina archives.

Above The Cassina Hayama cabinet, bar, hutch and console designed by Patricia Urquiola were loosely inspired by the look of Japanese haori jackets

Tell us more about the exhibition you created for Milan Design Week.
At the beginning, we wanted to do [the exhibition] underground, but then we moved into this building in the middle of the city that was a bank; there’s even a vault with a safe box. It’s very interesting because we are telling the stories of all those treasures that [represent] the culture of Cassina, with the signature red colour of Cassina. I hope that when people visit, it’s an occasion to get into what I think are the cultural values of a company. It’s good to do exhibitions that make people understand why we are the long-term players; [like how] in the theatre, you go to see a new work by a contemporary artist. We have to eliminate the idea that these are only vintage pieces; they can [also] be synergistic pieces.

Photo 1 of 6 A scene from the Echoes, 50 years of iMaestri exhibition held during Milan Design Week

Photo 2 of 6 The exhibition was held in a former bank vault and dramatically lit in red while featuring iconic designs from the Cassina archives

Photo 3 of 6 The design team staged eye-catching settings within this exhibition featuring Cassina designs

Photo 4 of 6 Another area featuring iconic Cassina collections, presented on a platform

Photo 5 of 6 A scene showing furniture parts

Photo 6 of 6 Another area in the immersive exhibition

Can you explain your concept for the Cassina Moncloud sofa?
We wanted to create an extra-soft sofa done in a gentle and curvy shape, not using any mould, in polyurethane. It’s a sophisticated new material; a really sustainable new way of thinking about sofas. How do climate concerns shape your design process right now? In the ‘60s and ‘70s, Italy invented an industrial process using polyurethane moulds that gave the possibility to do any kind of shape. But now it is time for the same country that created this possibility to rethink this industrial process, to develop new ways of producing with recycled materials.

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Home design Cassina Patricia Urquiola

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How this Italian architect is driven to tell stories through furniture design