A graduate of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Patricia Urquiola was taken under the wing of some of Italy’s finest modern designers. Having been mentored by Achille Castiglioni, followed by working alongside Vico Magistretti, she later earned the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts from Spain.
While her base of operations has been and remains Italy, Urquiola’s designs have left a lasting impression in her home country. While a vast collection of the architect, art director, and industrial designer’s works can be found on the mainland, there are also a few gems to be experienced here on Ibiza. Here, we explore those iconic designs.
Punctuating an Entertainment Hub of Ibiza
Interior design and the art dotted around an entertainment venue do a huge amount of the heavy lifting for creating the desired experience. Your surroundings will subtly inform you of how you should go about enjoying the venue and truly immerse you in the environment designed specifically to entertain.
At Casino de Ibiza, Urquiola has infused Ibizencan Tradition into her design. Her materials, fabrics, architectural elements, and patterns all repeatedly evoke the iconic gold family necklace inherited by the payesas. From there, she also layered in vision-filtering Mediterranean wooden lattices to let the lights shine through the venue.
Even with this approach of tradition, it’s an incredibly modern venue. From the relaxed-but-classy casino terrace to the gaming room, the design creates a distinct and immersive setting. This is even with the infusion of new and more modern games.
The world of casino gaming has changed greatly over the last couple of decades. Where once the prestige of roulette and blackjack were emphasised, now, it’s all about the hit slots. Games like Action Bank have risen to prominence online. Its focus is on the big bonuses hidden within the bank as part of a heist theme.
Naturally, a game such as this perhaps wouldn’t traditionally suit the aesthetic of tradition and class at Casino de Ibiza. Yet, so versatile, accessible, and inviting is Urquiola’s design here that even the flashiest of modern games fit in. Back in January 2024, for example, the venue added the bombastic, neon-lit Mighty Hammer terminal set.
Heart Ibiza and a Prominent Villa
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Similar to her work on Casino de Ibiza, with Heart Ibiza *Now Club Chinois, Urquiola sought to evoke the idea that the venue at Gran Hotel in Paseo Marítimo could host just about any creative idea. People would be invited to enjoy different foods, performances, and immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the island.
To do this, the design created three distinct spaces: Terrace, Club, and Supper. All of the architectural elements lean heavily into different elements of Ibiza, from the pink tiles to the traditional beige fabric drawn together with ropes. The idea is to give a dynamic feel to the venue while keeping it distinctly tied to Ibiza.
Then, there’s the Private Villa. Designed in 2018 and located atop a hill on the eastern coast of the island, it allows for panoramic views in every room while also meeting the privacy criteria requested. Again, local materials and traditional conservative solutions were drawn from to inspire the modern, re-interpreted design of the villa.
So, should you want to explore some of Patricia Urquiola’s most immersive and traditional designs in Ibiza, you now know where to look.
