January 1, 2013

Women in Design: Movers and Shakers




PatriciaUrquiola

PatriciaQuote

Spanish-born

Patricia Urquiola

left her native country to study and work with the famed Italian designer Achille Castiglioni. She went on to work for

Maddelena de Padova

and then

Piero Lissoni

where she became head of his design studio. In 2001, she opened her own office and has skyrocketed to fame with her vibrant furniture designs for

Driade

,

B&B Italia

,

Kartell

,

Flos

and

Moroso

, the company for which she is design director. Urquiola has created memorable interiors for the

Condesa

hotel in Mexico City and

Madarin Oriental

in Barcelona, among others



ClodaghLG

ClodaghQuote

The Irish-born designer

Clodagh

started her firm in 1983 and has built a mini empire using cutting-edge materials and

feng shui

to create ecologically sensitive environments. She easily shifts among hospitality, commercial and residential projects (they include

Felissimo Design House

, Manhattan offices for

Elektra Entertainment Group

, the Tokyo offices of

Dentsu

, and the project that has given a new face to

Elizabeth Arden’s famed Red Door

on Fifth Avenue). She is especially known for her sensitive treatment of spas. She creates products for

Ann Sacks

,

Levolor

,

Kirsch

,

HBF

,

Visual Comfort

and

Tufenkian

. Last, but not least, she does brand identity packaging and graphics, most notably for

Awake Cosmetics

, a division of

Kose

, a Japanese cosmetics group.


Kelly Wearstler


WearstlerQuote




Kelly Wearstler

has been famous ever since she started her business in 1995. Her style is sometimes likened to Hollywood Regency. Wearstler’s commercial career took off with her designs for the

Avalon Beverly Hills

, owned by her husband, Brad Korzen (they met when he hired her to design his house). Wearstler has steadily expanded her brand, designing everything from porcelain for

Pickard China

to a line of accessories for

Bergdorf Goodman

(she also designed Bergdorf’s BG restaurant). She currently does linens for

Sferra

, rugs for

The Rug Company

, and wall treatments for

Schumacher Co.

She was a judge on Bravo’s reality TV series,

Top Design

and has a line of clothing and a shop to go with it.


Barbara Barry


BarbaraBarryQuote




Barbara Barry

founded her Los Angeles-based firm in 1985 and is celebrated for her refined style, subdued but lush palette, graceful lines and delicate proportions. She is dedicated to detail: every element in her rooms inspires calm and tranquility. She has an A list of celebrity clients and her refined, painterly style has appealed to a host of manufacturers including

Baker

,

Henredon

,

HBF

,

McGuire Furniture

,

Boyd Lighting

,

Tufenkian

,

Kravet

,

Baccarat

and more. She also does contract design for

Brooks Brothers

‘ New York flagship and for the Avon Center Salon and spa in

Trump Tower

.


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