With a major retrospective of his work on show in Madrid, Catalan designer Miguel Milá talks Dezeen through the most personally significant pieces from his eight-decade career.
Aged 93, Milá is one of the most influential Spanish designers of his generation, with a vast back catalogue of furniture and lighting works for iconic mid-century brands including Polinax and Gres, and more recently, Santa & Cole.
The largest exhibition of his work to date is currently on show at Ferna?n Go?mez Centro Cultural de la Villa in Madrid, featuring over 200 objects and drawings, from completed works to sketches and prototypes.
Miguel Milá holding a bamboo and leather fly swatter he designed for Isist Atelier in 2020, with wife Maria Valcarcel
The show, which opened as part of Madrid Design Festival, was curated by husband-and-wife team, Gonzalo Milá, who is the designer's son, and Claudia Oliva. It highlights the extent of Milá's impact on design history, with many of the works now synonymous with the modern Spanish home interior.
"Milá has known the recipe for naturalness in objects ever since he picked up a pencil, as instinctively as a good cook is able to combine ingredients to make more out of their flavours," wrote Jasper Morrison in a tribute published in 2021.
The Ferna?n Go?mez Centro Cultural de la Villa is showcasing over 200 objects and drawings by Milá, including works from the label he founded, Tramo
Born in Barcelona in 1931, Milá worked as an interio...