Miguel Milá (Barcelona, 1931) began to work as an interior designer in the architecture studio of his brother Alfonso and Federico Correa. It was the end of the 50s, a time of crisis.

Industrial design was barely known within our borders. The shortage of objects, means and raw materials inspired him to start designing his own pieces of furniture and lamps. Soon he established his own company, Tramo, together with two architects, who also happened to be his friends: F. Ribas Barangé and E. Pérez Ullibarri. He did not know it yet, but he was already directing his steps toward industrial design.Many projects saw the light in the age of Tramo, short form for “Trabajos Molestos” (‘annoying works’) or “all those things little brothers are forced to do”, such as the previous versions of the popular lamps TMC (1958) and TMM (1961), now turned into timeless classics and still in a good commercial shape.

Later on, he would found his own industrial and interior design 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.”

Miguel Milá has played a fundamental role in the history of Spanish design. His work has basically focused on bringing tradition up to date: many of his pieces have gone beyond the circumstances under which they were first produced and feel as contemporary as if they were fresh new, mainly because “they were born in a time when rigour and honesty were highly regarded”, Milá states. In 1987, he was awarded the first Premio Nacional de Diseño and later, in 2008, he received the Compasso d’Oro in appreciation of his long career and great contribution to the promotion of Spanish design abroad.