Trained as an architect, and drawn to the avant-garde, Paola Navone carved out a path for herself within high end modern design with a trademark style full of color, whimsy, art, craft, and cultural celebration.

Born in Turin, Italy in 1950, she was interested early on in all that was new, unknown, and future forward. With limited opportunities to study design, she enrolled in the architecture program at the Polytechnic University of Turin, and there discovered the radical counter-cultural design movements of the 1960s and 70s in collectives like Archizoom Associati and Superstudio, both in Florence, Italy, Archigram in London, and projects like Paolo Soleri’s Arcosanti in Arizona. These groups designed unconventional projects that were both thought provoking and functional, and they embodied a rebellious anarchic wildness that called to her own creative spirit. Wanting to experience them for herself, she started traveling, and discovered a love of nomadic wandering and exploration, a key element of her success.

Navone wrote her masters thesis on this radical architecture movement, and it caught the eye of Alessandro Mendini, architect, designer, and then director of Casabella magazine, who invited her to Milan to adapt it for his publication. Craving more from the design world than what Turin could offer, she jumped at the chance, and their collaboration led to the publication of the book, Archittettura Radicale, created with Bruno Orlandoni.

Navone joined the avant-garde design group Studio Alchimia, and then the possibly even more radical and less consumerist-minded Memphis Group, where following ideas wherever they might lead, was prized over commercial success.

This irreverent approach to design, and commitment to creative ideals can be found in Navone’s own work that focuses on design primario, design that touches the senses, and in the unrestrained curiosity and playfulness of her work, which incorporates the many influences gathered on her travels. One of a kind treasures collected on these journeys, in markets, cities, and villages, including handmade artisanal crafts, kitschy decorations, and cute or strangely compelling everyday items, make their way into her own living spaces, and the interiors that she designs for others, lending a one-of-a-kind, authentic quality and uniquely playful feel. Her skill is in weaving disparate pieces together in unexpected and artful ways, one thing beautifully cross pollinating with and “contaminating” the other in aesthetic collages that celebrate the beauty and artistry of cultures around the world.

To Navone, the moment of discovery, the experience of finding an object, “... is an act of design…” in itself (- Disegno Journal), and when a piece is repurposed or salvaged from “waste”, then the thrill is even greater. For her, found objects also serve as, “... a kind of collection of design ideas…”  (- slowdown.media) that she uses as mood boards to inspire new creations.

Navone’s roles over the years have included art director, creative director, interior designer, product designer, furniture designer, exhibition designer, and architect, and brand collaborations have included Poliforn, Roche Bobois, Armani Casa, Abet Laminati, Molteni, Knoll, and Gervasoni, where she served as creative director until 2020. 

Projects include:

Hotel 25 Hours, Florence: With a playful theme of Dante’s hell and paradise, in this project Navone had the chance to play with a cinematic quality in the decor. In her words, each interior design project is, “a bit like writing a new movie script” (- dezeen.com). Throughout the hotel she incorporated vintage pieces, artisan crafts, and luxury Italian items, along with the frequent use of a deep blood red color, and her favorite cooling indigo blue.

Brass Suspension Lamps for Gervasoni: Organically folded and curved, hand hammered brass lamps, also made in silver.

Erosantorini Hotel, Santorini Greece: A luxury boutique hotel designed for indoor outdoor living, featuring eclectic interiors and minimalist terraces that look out over the sea. A creative feature that’s also found in her own Greek home, are the whitewashed patterned “rugs” painted on the cement terraces that add an artistic, surreal feel.

Patterns for Abet Laminati, a leading producer of decorative high-pressure laminates: This was Navone’s first major client, and she was hired after catching their eye in a design competition. Instead of submitting one design as requested, she sent in fifty. Later she was made art director of the company, and worked at the brand for thirty years.

Ibaji Korean restaurant in Paris: This small eatery features an art crafted decor with a mosaic of broken tiles covering the walls inside and out, and artisanal hanging lamps that add brightness and color.

Ghost Collection for Gervasoni: Minimalist modern sofas draped in sheet-like coverings available in a range of colors and patterns that encourage a playful experimentation with the art of living. The sofa coverings can be personalized and changed for different moods, rooms, occasions, and seasons, or just customized for the moment, in a design that’s emblematic of most of her work with the company, which focused on easily convertible pieces.

A home collection for Crate & Barrel: The theme of the collection was ‘a dinner with friends’, and Navone designed nearly everything needed to host one, with 140 items in total, including table and chairs, lighting, and tableware. In the spirit of the project, at the launch party she cooked for the guests herself.

Nepal Chair for Baxter: A comfy fluffy sitting chair with the look and feel of a mountain yak, made in Mongolian leather.

COMO Point Yamu Hotel, Phuket, Thailand: A luxurious modern hotel that incorporates and celebrates local materials in the design, including wood and ceramic tiles.

Take it or Leave It Exhibition at Milan Design Week 2023: This interactive exhibition offered guests, via lottery, items from Navone’s own personal collection for free. In total, hundreds of personally scouted treasures hand picked by her on her many travels, as well as her own designs, were given away in a radical exercise in upcycling and climate friendly acquisition.

Navone had observed that objects serve a purpose, providing a certain vibe, energy, comfort, and inspiration that at one time might be dearly wanted and needed, but which over time might fade. In her case, after an object has given her its ethereal something, “... the relationship is finished.” (- Disegno Journal). This exhibition demonstrated that in those cases, collections don’t have to be simply abandoned, they can be given a new home, and a chance to inspire others.

And in her own homes, the true breadth of Navone’s art loving eclectic spirit shines. At her house in Milan, inside of a former film editing studio and industrial space, originally planned as her office, collections of objects are displayed on various surfaces in every room.

Her minimalist stone house in Serifos, Greece opens onto terraces with sea views. Inside and out her painted “carpets” add a playful artistic touch, that feels both modern and ancient at the same time.

In her Paris home, a converted silk and tobacco factory, pops of color and a mix of gallery style art pieces and industrial objects create her signature eclectic feel.

Navone has received several design awards over the years, including the Osaka International Design Award in 1983, the Marie Claire Maison Paris Prix d’Excellence in 1999, Architektur & Wohnen Magazine’s Designer of the Year in 2000, two Elle Deco International Design Awards in 2011 and 2018, and she was appointed to the Interior Design Magazine Design Hall of Fame in 2014.

Navone opened her own multi-disciplinary design firm, OTTO Studio, in Milan, Italy in 2000, where she and her team create fully realized spaces, designing both the interiors and all of the objects within them.

Photos courtesy of otto.fish, forbes.com, telegraph.co.uk, dwell.com, designboom.com, elledecoration.co.uk, 25hours-hotel.com / 25 Hours Hotel Florence, gervasoni1882.com, cntraveler.com, antonio campanella, and slowdown.media, Dario Garofalo, stirworld.com, architonic.com, onpaperstore.com, masonionline, 1stdibs.com, madaboutthehouse.com, trendir, indagare.com, gomodern.co.uk, differentlikeazoo.com, style-files.com, Andrea Ferrari, internimagazine.com, devon-devon.com, pamono.co.uk, shop.mohd.it, surfacemag.com, disegnojournal.com, frameweb.com, trendland.com, and decor8blog.com.