Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo in Spain and now lives and works in Milan. She attended the faculty of architecture of Madrid Polytechnic were she graduated in 1989 having done a thesis with Achille Castiglioni. From 1990 to 1992 she was assistant lecturer on the courses held by Achille Castiglioni and Eugenio. Between 1990 and 1996 she worked for the new product development office of De Padova and with Vico Magistretti designed the products Flower, Loom sofa, Chaise and Chaise Longue. In 1996 she became head of the Lissoni Associati design group, working for Alessi, Antares-Flos, Artelano, Boffi, Cappellini, Cassina, Kartell, and others. At the same time, on her own, she designed for B&B, Bosa, De Vecchi too, Fasem, Kartell, Liv’it, Mdf, Molteni & Co, Moroso and Tronconi and designed stands and showroom for Knoll, Moroso, Sag 80, and Somma. She has been selected for and has won numerous International design awards.

Flos was founded in 1962 in Merano, to produce modern lighting. To develop new lighting concepts, they enlisted the aid of Achille Castiglioni, Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and Tobia Scarpa. One of the first materials they experimented with was cocoon, a very pliable material made in the USA. In 1964 Sergio Gandini joined the company, and the headquarters were moved to a new site near Brescia. The first Flos retail store, designed by the Castiglioni brothers opened in Milan in 1968. In 1971 Flos opened its first subsidiary in Germany. In 1974 it purchased Arteluce, a historical brand founded in 1939 by Gino Sarfatti, and opened a new factory in Bovezzo, just outside the city of Brescia. The collaboration with Achille Castiglioni continued through the '80s, and in 1992 he introduced the "family of products" concept to the market with the Brera series. At the same time, Flos continued to scout for emerging talent at an international level, collaborating with Philippe Starck in 1988.