Progressive Luxury meets Creative Excellence
Following a successful collaboration in 2010 for the Salone del Mobile in Milano, Patricia Urquiola and BMW joined forces again for a design collaboration at BMW Welt in Munich, Germany. In occasion of the launch of the new 7 Series, the BMW X7 and the 8 Series line-up, Patricia Urquiola and Senior Vice President BMW Group Design Adrian van Hooydonk wanted to create an intriguing and surprising installation space.
The starting point was the concept of modern luxury that both Adrian and Patricia share in their respective fields of design, that is the opportunity to spend your time, that is becoming more and more precious, with products that can offer something special.
“Luxury is always a kind of freedom. I hope that people who come to BMW Welt feel this idea of comfort, and get involved in this proposal. Time has become a type of luxury and therefore how we choose to live this extra time is what we are designing for here.” Patricia Urquiola
The design conversation with the space of BMW Welt began from the advertising campaign of the BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe: photographed against the blue/green shimmer of a frozen lake, it recalls the incredibly mystic hues of the Northern Lights. The whole installation plays with this concept of light changing and adapting to various materials and textures according to a physical interaction. The floor production consisted of a dark green terrazzo infill created with cutting-edge 3D-technology, combining with organic lines with 3D-printed elements, resulting in a single surface that appears to be liquid.
The concept of soft and liquid materials is reoccurring and representative of Patricia Urquiola’s work and she extended this concept to vertical elements of the exhibition space as well. She created an undulating metal mesh that, acting as a rigid curtain to the large floor-to-ceiling windows of the space, reflect the same shades of green and blue from the metallic paint on the cars. The dynamic and shimmered atmosphere achieved throughout the space through finishing and lighting perfectly balances BMW’s brand DNA with Patricia Urquiola’s design vision. Featured in the lounge area of the exhibition is the Floe Insel Sofa for Cassina, also inspired by Nordic ice fragments, the Gender Armchair also for Cassina, the Marea Tables for Budri in marble and a Custom carpet.
