Miguel Milá (Barcelona, 1931) began his career in the architecture studio of his brother at the end of the 50s, when industrial design was barely known in our country. The shortage of objects, means and raw materials made him start designing his own pieces of furniture and lamps. Soon he established his own company, Tramo, acronym for “Trabajos Molestos” (‘annoying works’), where he produced the first versions of the lamps TMC (1958) and TMM (1961), today timeless classics and still for sale. Later on, he founded his own studio. “The truth is I am a pre-industrial designer. I feel more comfortable when working with technical procedures that allow me to correct my mistakes, make experiments along the process and control it as much as I can. That is also why I prefer fine materials, because they really know how to age”. Milá has played a central role in the history of Spanish design: his pieces feel as contemporary as if they were fresh new. In 1987, he was awarded the first Premio Nacional de Diseño and in 2008, he received the Compasso d’Oro in appreciation of his long career and contribution to the promotion of Spanish design abroad.
