Paola Navone, creative wanderings

Understanding the seemingly mysterious Paola Navone is actually pretty easy – you simply have to look into her crystal clear eyes to instantly sense her intimate ties with the transparent waters of the world’s warmest seas. Blue. Her obsession. That of the Mediterranean, which lies deep within her soul just like her beautiful homeland, Italy. The tropical blue of the oceans of Asia, a continent she set out to explore very early on in life. The indigo blue of Tanzania’s Maasai warriors, which so often makes an appearance in her work. As, indeed, does red, be it tribal, Chinese or Japanese.

“Nomadic blood runs through my veins, she smiles. Travelling’s second nature. I explore everyday items from different cultures and traditions with the curious eyes of an anthropologist. Distance is simply no object.”

 

Paola Navone is a traveller whose never-ending journeys take her continuously South and East, giving rise to creations that are the perfect reflection of European eyes drinking in dreams of elsewhere. It is certainly no coincidence that she has opted to emblazon September’s MOM tote bags with ethnic, tattoo-style motifs. Borrowed from African tribes or gleaned from traditional civilisations in Vietnam, India, Indonesia, China or Japan, the dots, lines, zigzags and scoring, all stylised in her own unique way, have grown to become her trademark. Then there are fish, mirroring her astrological sign, Pisces, painted in the style of Japanese prints. “Nomadic blood runs through my veins, she smiles. Travelling’s second nature. I explore everyday items from different cultures and traditions with the curious eyes of an anthropologist. Distance is simply no object.” Paola Navone is referring to her latest tableware collection, Nomade, which she designed for Serax and is set to be showcased at MAISON&OBJET. Jade green bowls from Japan, serviettes printed with tribal patterns, Chinese noodle bowls with dazzling red designs, Indonesian salad servers crafted from hammered metal, Turkish glassware, Italian salad bowls… This collection serves up a veritable snapshot of her nomadic observations, with every single item flaunting the beautiful imperfections of handcrafted wares. As a designer, scenic designer and architect, Paola Navone simply never stops creating. This year alone, she’s supervised Abet Laminati’s laminate panel collections, created new Outdoor ranges for Baxter and Ethimo, fitted out the Como Beach Club in Bali, designed new vases and a line of resin chairs for Corsi Design, worked on lighting for Karman, and that’s all on top of her long-standing collaboration with Gervasoni. Her most remarkable project in recent months, however, would have to be the refurbishment of the McDonald’s restaurant just a stone’s throw from Paris Austerlitz train station. The walls are tattooed with jazzy hues, the chairs are all mismatched, and the overriding colour is, somewhat unsurprisingly, aqua blue. As you embark on your own journey exploring the MAISON&OBJET aisles it’s certainly worth keeping your eyes peeled, as Paola Navone is a regular visitor and you may just catch the sweep of that piercing azure gaze.