Seeds of change
Wallpaper|July 2022
Patricia Urquiola's latest creation for Flos is a sustainable lighting system featuring organic shapes inspired by the fruit and flowers of almond trees
LAURA MAY TODD
Seeds of change

When architect and designer Patricia Urquiola debuted her 'Serena' table lamp for Italian lighting brand Flos at 2015's Euroluce, the Salone del Mobile's biannual lighting exhibition, it was an instant classic. Though the industry attention seemed to indicate otherwise, it was not, in fact, the only work of hers on display. Suspended from the ceiling of the stark white Ron Gilad-designed booth was another design, a prototype that never made it into production.

It was an experimental lighting system that played with the same aesthetics as 'Serena', which resembles a petal curving around a well of light, reflecting and diffusing its glow. But instead of the table lamp's short vertical body, the hanging light was formed of willowy branch-like stems that hovered over the exhibition floor like the canopy of a tropical forest. 'At the time, the technology was just not advanced enough for such a slim and simplified project to be produced properly at a large scale,' recalls Urquiola. Unwilling to compromise on the form or the unique modular construction of the prototype, she reluctantly left the idea on the back burner for several years. 'As an architect, I knew I needed this kind of modular piece, which we were not able to resolve when we made 'Serena'", explains Urquiola. But she continued to envision the prototype in the hotel lobbies and Haute restaurants she and her studio designed in the following years. And it was the first thing she thought of when Flos approached her again in 2019 to reprise their collaboration.

This story is from the July 2022 edition of Wallpaper.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July 2022 edition of Wallpaper.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM WALLPAPERView All
COOL RUNNINGS
Wallpaper

COOL RUNNINGS

Palace founder Lev Tanju is bringing his own unexpected brand of weirdness and love of eclectic mash-ups to Fila's new contemporary line

time-read
5 mins  |
January 2025
LIVING COLOUR
Wallpaper

LIVING COLOUR

Mexico's San Miguel de Allende is home to a bold young crowd of talent that's thriving off the city's brightly-hued heritage

time-read
5 mins  |
January 2025
STARS ASCENDING
Wallpaper

STARS ASCENDING

In a rapidly changing world, the route designers take to discover their calling is increasingly circuitous. We profile ten creatives forging their own paths to success

time-read
10+ mins  |
January 2025
SUITE DREAMS
Wallpaper

SUITE DREAMS

Cathay Pacific’s new aircraft interiors turn the inflight experience into an art form, upgrading the business-class cabin for the next generation of flyers

time-read
2 mins  |
January 2025
Brutal harmony
Wallpaper

Brutal harmony

The Escheresque Italian villa designed by Fausto Bontempi for sculptor Claudio Caffetto

time-read
3 mins  |
January 2025
LOCAL HERO
Wallpaper

LOCAL HERO

London studio Holloway Li’s recent makeover of Polish hotel Puro Poznan is right up our street

time-read
2 mins  |
January 2025
STAR TURNS
Wallpaper

STAR TURNS

An exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi unveils the stellar shortlist for this year's Richard Mille Art Prize

time-read
4 mins  |
January 2025
SCREEN GEM
Wallpaper

SCREEN GEM

A multifaceted residence in Beverly Hills puts the beauty of potentiality in the frame

time-read
3 mins  |
January 2025
SOFT SPOT
Wallpaper

SOFT SPOT

We've taken a shine to Bottega Veneta's collaboration with Flos on a special edition of a Gino Sarfatti lamp

time-read
1 min  |
January 2025
Between the lines
Wallpaper

Between the lines

Frequently drawing comparisons with Francis Bacon, painter George Rouy is gaining peer points for his use of classic techniques to distort the human form

time-read
4 mins  |
January 2025