Paola Navone
Italy

Paola Navone is the exception on the Italian design scene. For the past thirty years she has been a welcome feature of the otherwise male-dominated Italian design elite.

In the 80s, Navone was active in the avant-garde design movements Alchimia and Memphis. In 1988, she created the Mondo brand together with Giulio Cappellini. After living for many years in Hong Kong, Navone now sees herself as an enlightened and enlightening ‘ethnic nomad’.

Due to her early experience, Paola Navone has a particular talent for rediscovering design from the past and bringing it to life in new, contemporary forms. This process always relies heavily on traditional handicrafts and has proved very successful.

Nowadays, she works as an interior designer and consultant to furniture and material manufacturers, and always tries to combine modern design with traditional handicraft. She strives to create hybrids of design and handicraft, placing greater value on design that comes about ‘by mistake’ than that which is created for mass production. This often results in only one example of her products being produced.

Her client list is full of famous names: Armani, Knoll International, Natuzzi, Alessi, Driade, Abet Laminati and Molteni are but a few examples. Two of her latest projects – a new collaborative project with Viva Ceramica entitled Drops (a series of bathroom products) and the Gingerbread furniture series for Lando – were introduced this spring at the Milan Fair 2006.