Paola Navone once said that sourcing inspiration is a way of life, if you look and touch things you will always find something to rouse your curiosity. This is vital when your design portfolio spans porcelain, clothing, fabrics, furniture and lighting; an abundance of bright ideas is essential. Good job that Paola is an avid traveller with a love of new cultures and eclectic tastes, she is as driven by technical process as she is by handicraft.
Paola Navone champions the past and present, the everyday and extraordinary, she cannot be defined as having a ‘style’ and would prefer to be seen as an anthropologist who breathes life into the most unexpected of places. We are fondly familiar with her furniture designs but have a new avid interest in her neo-baroque style porcelain collection, the ‘Taste’ range of tableware. Watch this space in the coming days, but in the meantime we bring you our homage to Paola and our pick of the top pieces from the collections at The Conran Shop.
Paola Navone, Ghost Sofa, £5,895
Paola Navone's Milan home, image courtesy of Living Etc
Living in a converted cheese factory in central Milan, Paola has a fondness for chocolate and fritto misto. She spends the weekends scouring furniture shops and flea markets, often staying up late to indulge her passion for cooking her grandmother’s recipes. When Paola isn’t entertaining at home and setting the table with an enviable collection of mismatched furniture and eclectic tableware, she is dining at Ponte Rosso and sampling their traditional Roman recipes.
Paola Navone, Gray 50 Desk, £1,425
Paola Navone, Gray 24 chair, £750
Educated at the Turin Politecnico, Paola Navone cut her teeth alongside the founding fathers of the Alchimia group between 1970-80; the most progressive set on the Italian design scene. It is exhausting just listing her bountiful triumphs from this point; Designer, Art Director, Curator, Architect, Interior Designer, Critic and Teacher, to top it all Paola has handled the Art Direction at Gervasoni since 1998 and has designed most collections personally. She has worked with Alessi, Knoll, Molteni and Natuzzi and this is just the tip of the iceberg. We salute Paola Navone and welcome her fresh, visionary practice to The Conran Shop time and time again. Shop the collection here.
Coming soon...The Paola Navone 'Taste' collection