Essential: A Design Guide for Life, by the acclaimed Spanish designer Miguel Milá (1931–2024), intimately and organically weaves together an artistic manifesto with family memories and profound reflections on living and the good life.

Originally published in Spanish as Lo esencial to great critical and popular acclaim, and translated into English by the renowned writer and translator Valerie Miles, this volume launches the ‘Lectura’ series from the prestigious publisher Apartamento, dedicated to exploring the thinking and perspectives of key creators.

Although there are numerous publications on his work, this unique volume stands out as the first to be devoted entirely to his design philosophy through his own words.

An indispensable pioneer of industrial design in Spain, Miguel Milá began devising his own furniture and lighting out of a genuine need to create what he could not find on the market, at a time before the discipline had taken its current form. Honoured with top-tier accolades—such as the first-ever National Design Award, the Compasso d’Oro Internazionale from the Italian ADI, six ADI-FAD Delta Awards and the City of Barcelona’s Gold Medal, awarded posthumously—Milá left an unrivalled legacy guided by simplicity, the nobility of materials and everyday comfort.

Written in a lucid, honest and accessible style, this book invites readers to understand design not as a mere formal exercise, but as a way of life characterised by serenity and common sense.

Key features:

• Binding: Softback.
• Pages: 160.
• Language: English.