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/// IN THE AIR / Paola Navone Paola Navone / IN THE AIR ///

Whatever the destination, the
PAOLA NAVONE thing that counts is how the way
Nomadic you see the things around you
changes; whether you're on the
SPIRIT other side of the globe or on the
corner of your own street.

ICONIC, FREE, IRREPLACEABLE... IT IS HARD TO
SUM UP IN JUST A FEW WORDS THE "NAVONE
STYLE" WHICH SLIPS THROUGH THE FINGERS Today, it has invaded our lives. What is design for you in 2021?
LIKE A WRIGGLING FISH — HER FETISH ANIMAL
AND RECURRING MOTIF, AND WHAT'S MORE, Paola Navone: Design can no longer ignore the issue of
sustainability and the importance of well-being in our society.
THE GRAND LADY OF DESIGN'S ZODIAC SIGN Today, we need to feel at ease in the interiors where we live.
IS PISCES...! It is crucial to take pleasure in sharing common spaces in an
informal way and for each person to find his or her own place
within them.
Designer, architect, set designer, artistic director for famous
brands, consultant for the World Bank… Does nothing stop
you?
P. N.: I have a nomadic nature. My indefatigable curiosity about
people, cultures and places is the driving force of my creativity.
38 That's what encourages me to keep going. 39
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What has been the biggest challenge of your career?
P. N.: Each of my projects is a new creative venture and
therefore something of a challenge! In my projects, I always
try to provoke that little imperfection which accounts for the
beauty of hand-crafted objects, even when it's on an industrial
scale.
All of your creations carry a clear mark of your travels. How
do these inspirations find their way into your objects?
P. N.: Travel is kind of my way of breathing. Whatever the
destination, the thing that counts is the way you see things
around you changing; whether you're on the other side of the
globe or on the corner of your own street. Everything that
arouses my curiosity naturally feeds my creativity.
You talk about a nomadic stylistic approach. What do you
Turning her back on academic codes and ignoring labels, Paola mean by that?
Navone has been stamping her mixed and euphoric vision
of the world on design for more than 30 years. A native of P. N.: In my work, "contamination" is one of my favorite tools.
Turin, where she graduated from the prestigious Polytechnic When I like something I see, I spontaneously start imagining
University, in 1979, the young Italian designer moved to Milan it elsewhere. I love the fact that the objects I bring back from
and joined the famous avant-garde group Studio Alchimia. my travels carry their own little history with them. I also love
There, she would cultivate her iconoclastic approach to the mixing different cultures, techniques and know-how.
discipline alongside the renowned Ettore Sottsass, Alessandro What is your secret to finding the right balance in interior
Mendini and Andrea Branzi. A celebration of the senses and an design?
ode to joy, her designs carry the colors and scents of her travels
around the world and their nomadic spirit infuses each of her P. N.: I like places where you immediately feel happy. When I
creations. Among her numerous distinctions is the prestigious imagine an interior, I let myself be guided by warm, relaxing,
Osaka International Design Award. As her studio presents benevolent vibes. I think we have need of this more and more.
her new sofa collection for Baxter, Casamilano and Natuzzi, I also like slipping in an unexpected detail, hijacking a material
Paola reveals that she is working on a new hotel concept in or an everyday object, for example. Shifting a viewpoint can
Florence which she says is "pop, colorful and funny". We call turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. It's what I call the art
it "insatiable"! of Thammada — "something simple" in Thai. That has become
my philosophy.