There are a small number of designers in the world whose projects do not just inspire admiration, they literally turn every viewer into a design adept, even if for the latter "design" is just a modern buzzword. Undoubtedly, Paola Navone belongs to such artists. Her objects can be viewed from different points of view - critically or with admiration. Each of her projects, interior or installation, piece of furniture or tableware, collection of textiles or accessories fascinates with an elusive but strong emotion of joy. The emotion of an adventurous journey across continents and times.
Absolutely everything that falls into the sensual field of vision of the restless traveler and designer is transformed into design concepts. And it doesn't matter how far the journey is - to Hong Kong or Brazil, to the nearest vegetable market or to the supermarket. Therefore, the ideological initiator of the PRO DECÒ 2021 conference, historian and design critic Larisa Tsybina called Paola Navone's approach a "design sponge" during her author's course "History of design from the 50s to the present day." The peculiarity of Navone's creative handwriting is that she does not overload the design with her artistic self, does not try to turn the project into an act of self-expression, but on the contrary, into a manifestation of the essence of the task. Simple at first glance and extremely complex in essence, the designer's creative solutions will always correlate with function and meaning, meeting the technical task of the brand or customer. And only the emotions of joy, fullness, lightness will tell you about the authorship that you read and recognize at first glance.
Interior of McDonalds in Paris. Designer: Paola Navone. Photo: Sylvie Becquet
Cerise Bar on the roof of the Virgin Hotel in Chicago. Designer: Paola Navone. Photo: Nicholas James
I asked Paola if it is possible to invent my own recipe, my own formula for a successful project? And she replied: "The only constant 'component' is the desire to bring joy to people." There are no ready-made design recipes, each time it is an individual process."
Living room in the Milanese house of Paola Navone. Photo: Enrico Conti
Paola's complex technique is hybridity. She manages to combine in one interior worlds and things that were born in different eras under different circumstances, in different traditions and styles. These "montages" can be followed. A vivid example is the Colors project, implemented during the Milan Design Week in 2016 for the Barovier & Toso company. Intense rhythms of colors, precious Murano glass Barovier & Toso and artifacts of nomads, "free" art in the spirit of arte pover - everything seems to be sewn together by a single thread.
"For me, there are no separate objects in the interior. All of them are connected, are in symbiosis, combinations and dialogues with each other. Everything is like in cooking - ingredients are combined to create a dish," - Paola Navone
In Paola's own interior in Milan, objects brought from different parts of the world, created for different companies at different times, are collected. The living room is very exotic, even fabulous, but surprisingly harmonious. It's like a forest glade filled by a flock of strange guests: trees sprouted in the middle of the room, a red fish found a free, quiet place under the very roof, a family of bright blue ceramics, wanting to stay here forever, captured the wall.
The interior of the jewelry store Dodo Boutique in Paris. Designer: Paola Navone. Photo: Enrico Conti
Paola Navone opens a new angle of perception of familiar objects, reincarnating, combining them, searching for secret meanings. "Humanity needs new technologies, new medicines, but not new models of chairs. It is better to look at those that have already been created," the designer believes. Paola is called the initiator of ethnic romance in interiors. We find her moods in the catalogs of European furniture and light factories, tableware and textile brands. The list of companies that have cooperated with her for many years can be listed endlessly. Among them are the loudest trendsetters and influencers: Gervasoni, Poliform, Kieffer by Rubelli, Mondo, Driade, Roche Bobois, Baxter, Falper, Ercol, Mamoli, Reichenbach, Linteloo, Letti & Co, Riva, Crate & Barrel, Serax, NLXL. Even Swatch is on that list. As a passionate fan of the brand's watches, Paola has created a whole collection of designs.
One-Off Collection for Corsi Design. Designer: Paola Navone. Photo: Enrico Conti
I asked Paola what most inspires her in the creative process? And she answered: "Creativity is interaction with the customer. It's a chemistry that really gives a lot of inspiration and energy. I am always interested in what tools help a person feel happiness. I love life and I love people. When people come to me, I always want to introduce them to something new, immerse them in a new world. With the customer, we consider how to make his brain dream in this space; how to create a space, like a film, just for him."
Text by Anastasia Biletska
/The material is published on the pages #32 of volume PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA/
