Cassina’s New São Paulo Store with Patricia Urquiola

_presented by Casual

_project: Cassina´s new store - Sao Paolo
_curated by: Patricia Urquiola
_location: São Paulo, Brazil
_cover image: Marco Antonio

Architecture has always extended beyond the act of building. It is a way of shaping the environments that frame our behaviors, rituals, and ways of being in the world. In this sense, architecture and design are not isolated disciplines but two perspectives of the same lens - intersecting, influencing, and redefining how we inhabit space. As the boundaries between them blur, the practice becomes less about creating objects and more about designing tools for life itself - adaptive, evolving, and deeply human.

This fluid understanding is at the heart of Patricia Urquiola’s trajectory. Trained in Spain and later at the Politecnico di Milano, Patricia’s path unfolded organically, guided by curiosity and a passion for collaboration. What began with assisting and exchanging ideas with other professionals soon became the foundation for her own voice in design. As she recalls, opening a studio was not part of her initial plan - it was the natural result of constantly engaging, questioning, and contributing until her vision could no longer remain only in conversation.

Today, Patricia embodies a 360-degree approach to design, one that spans architecture, furniture, fashion, and philosophy. She speaks of working with thinkers, critics, and creators across disciplines, embracing encounters that challenge perspectives and expand possibilities. For her, each collaboration is a moment of learning, a chance to rethink methods, and a reminder that design is as much about processes as it is about outcomes.

This vision resonates strongly in her partnership with Cassina, now materialized in the brand’s new showroom in São Paulo. More than a display of furniture, the space becomes a laboratory of ideas, echoing Patricia’s belief in design as an evolving dialogue. At its entrance, a modular installation holds special meaning for her - a personal, emotional gesture that sets the tone for what lies inside.

The São Paulo showroom reflects Cassina’s ongoing research into materials and production processes. Central to this work is the challenge of reimagining tradition: how can iconic typologies like sofas and armchairs, conceived decades ago, be reinterpreted through innovative, sustainable, and cost-competitive materials? Through collaborations with universities, design labs, and interdisciplinary teams, the showroom embodies this question not as a limitation but as a horizon.

Here, design does not simply decorate; it transforms. It respects layers of history while opening space for new narratives - an approach that perfectly mirrors Patricia Urquiola’s own journey: rooted in architecture, expanded by design, and always in motion

_article written by Daniela Moreira da Silva
_film by Architecture Hunter