A native of Mannheim, Andrea Schmidt-Futterer worked as a costume assistant and designer at the famous Schaubühne Berlin, followed by an engagement at the Schauspielhaus Bochum. From 1992 till 1999 she also taught at the Hochschule für Bildende Kunst in Hamburg.

Andrea Schmidt-Futterer is collaborating with various directors, e.g. since 1991 also regulargly with Peter Mussbach (a.a. for From the House of the Dead in Brussels; Lulu and Doktor Faust in Salzburg; Macbeth and Der ferne Klang in Berlin; Arabella at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris; La traviata in Berlin and at the Festival of Aix-en-Provence; Wozzeck and Carmen at Zürich Opera House); in collaboration with Nikolaus Lehnhoff she created the costumes for Parsifal at English National Opera London, The Flying Dutchman in Chicago, Turandot at Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam and Tristan und Isolde at Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Other recent productions: St. François d'Assise by Messiaën at San Francisco Opera (director: Nicolas Brieger); Dialogues des Carmélites at Hamburg State Opera; Perela by P. Dusapin at Opera Bastille in Paris, The Trojans at Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam (director: Pierre Audi, conductor: Edo de Waart), Moses und Aaron at Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin (director: Peter Mussbach, conductor: Daniel Barenboim), Co-production of Arabella at Covent Garden Opera London; Wozzeck at Saito Kinen Festival in Japan; The Flying Dutchman at San Francisco Opera; Billy Budd at the Bavarian State Opera Munich; Salome at Semperoper Dresden; Die Zarenbraut at Zürich Opera House; Die Gezeichneten at Salzburg Festival; La Froza del Destino at San Francisco Opera; Die Tote Stadt at Grand Theatre Geneva.