Design Alchemist

by Gabriella Vivaldi

Each design project begins with an encounter between special people who establish a connection that will generate something amazing. Paola Navone, a Milan residing globetrotter, is an alchemist and anthropologist of design, who firmly believes in the connections between people. We sat down with her to explore her approach to design and what inspires her to create everything from products to interiors, sets, art and much more.

Gabriella Vivaldi:
You are a very eclectic designer who likes to define herself as an “eclectic nomad.” Is that true?

Paola Navone:
I certainly am a nomad. Being eclectic is the result of my nomadism, of my constant moving, traveling and exploring different realms to discover everything I can. Nomad is a definition that suits me very well in the sense that being a nomad is like traveling. You never calculate how many kilometers your route is. It is a mental state in which you see and observe everything that surrounds you with your antennae raised. It is all about discovering something. I travel. One day I travel to the supermarket and maybe the day after I go to Tokyo, but I do these travels with the same state of mind. So being a nomad is connected with the idea of adapting, feeling well wherever you are, and being capable of giving something and taking something back from each situation you find yourself in.

GV: 
In this concept of travel, what role does
design play?

PN:
Design is the job. They aren’t directly connected one hundred percent of the time but I certainly gather information from these travels. I travel and create design, which is in my nature, so the consequence is that design takes advantage of my passion for travel and of my being a nomad.

GV:
What is design for you?

PN:
Design is to give. It’s a connection with an entity that is capable of making something. It generates an exchange - my contribution is to give it a form and shape. I package something that this entity can manufacture, be it a small independent
company or a large corporation.

GV:
In your opinion, between small independent companies and large corporations, who is more
open minded towards design and your vision
of design?

PN:
It doesn’t depend on the dimension or production type of the company; it is all about the flexibility and curiosity of people. I have found independent craftsmen that were very thick headed and corporations that were very flexible and vice versa so it’s not possible to make a distinction in these terms. What really intrigues me is creating a marriage between two extremes. To try and make these diverse worlds connect and take advantage of each other.

GV:
You have recently completed an extraordinary residential project in Spello, Umbria, Italy where you can see the use and combination of incredibly diverse styles. What was the creative process behind this concept?

PN:
It was an encounter with a person who told me about their problem. They had a space, a huge space where they wanted to go live. Having always lived in a one bedroom, they were now confronted with 600 square meters of space. I know there are bigger problems than this, but it seemed like an interesting challenge so that is where the adventure started.

GV:
Where did you turn to find inspiration for the selection of the pieces that are in the house?

PN:
It was a juxtaposition between the history of the structure and the story of the family. The walls were very particular, in some areas they have an incredible texture which I wanted to preserve. I had an idea to combine opposites, for example wood and cement. The environment itself was extremely inspirational. There was a magnificent natural light filtering in so we had this idea of having everything sort of flowing in white, such as huge furniture pieces immersed in white. The ceilings reach almost nine meters high in the main room, so we started working with very small objects, Lilliputian, and others that are humongous, for example the wardrobes are six meters tall. It resembles very much theater scenography with different proportion scales.

GV:
As a woman, how do you feel working in an industry dominated by men, such as design?

PN:
I concentrate on my projects; I don’t think that being a women makes a significant difference. I don’t think it’s relevant, good or bad that is.
I do my work as everybody else does and do my best to deliver results, while always trying to keep a sense of humor in the process.
The rest just happens.

GV:
During your career, you have collaborated with numerous Italian and international design companies like Poltrona Frau, Alessi, Abet Laminati, Natuzzi, Armani Casa and many more. How did your design style evolve with these projects and collaborations?

PN:
My point of view has always remained unchanged, and the reality is that the way I approach each individual and different project is also always the same. You must be immensely curious and flexible at the same time. It also means offering a chance to others to give their input on the project. So flexibility and curiosity are the key elements, but each project is born after an encounter, so each time the characters involved are different. It is always important to listen to the company you are working with, their needs and desires to successfully achieve their vision. I don’t believe in creating something standard, like stamps, in sequences. I don’t like to create Paola Navone duplicates all over the place. Each project is an adventure that starts from zero and evolves until it becomes the final result.

GV:
You have worked with so many companies, diverse in their nature and have created unique collections. There must be an intense connection with them during the development phases and after.

PN: 
There are companies with whom I established very special relationships. For example, I worked with Abet Laminati for 35 years, so you can understand that there are very strong connections that grow with the years, with the people and with the evolution of the companies. In general, I see success arrive when I create stories. I don’t believe in the museum object that places all of its value in itself alone. That is probably why I cannot choose which collection I love most.

All objects have a value given by their own essence of being an element placed among other things, so for example I cannot pick one chair; I like 150 chairs, and I will use them all. It is the correlation between the number and the connection they establish among each other that creates that unique story. When I create a story, I create something complex, a landscape full of things that can be very simple, maybe also trivial but I seek a way to relate the items to each other and create a flow of energy that culminates in creative and commercial success. When companies ask me to design a one-off piece, and this piece floats alone in the atmosphere, I think the results are actually less impressive.

GV:
Your products show a vast range of material applications, such as the combination of naturals and metals or as you mentioned before the combination of cement and wood. What is, in your opinion, the role of materials in the creation of a product?

PN:
I love to create unexpected pairings between things that usually don’t communicate among themselves, that at times are opposites. I like to mix things, keep the liberty of blending ingredients like when you cook. They are a fundamental part of the process. I never think of a shape without its matter. Also textiles, for example, aren’t the element that I add at the end when I am finished creating the product, they emerge in the initial thinking phases.

GV:
After so many projects do you still remember the first ones? Which one determined your path?

PN:
My very first project was with “Decori di Superficie” for Abet Laminati, an adventure that began with me winning a scholarship. I had to do research and create a very exciting and bubbly project, which they ended up liking very much, and resulted in a job offer. And you know, you never forget your first love.

GV:
Where do you find your inspiration?
 
PN:
The analytic part of a project is 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I am like a vacuum cleaner, as I walk and move I inhale and collect everything - colors, shapes, textures, smells, and everything ends up in the giant bin that is my head. When I have to work on a project, my synthetizing phase takes little time. I take the elements I need from the bin, which pop out instantly to be gathered. It is a constant process, not slow but continuous and then there is a very quick and instant synthesis of it all, and after that I package the information, organizing it to create what has been requested.

GV:
Many young talented designers struggle to be noticed, if you could give them a suggestion what would it be?

PN:
They don’t have to replicate the concepts of important design pioneers, because this profession has evolved so much that young designers can be creators. They have to invent their own profession. I can’t even imagine how but we have reached an extremely fertile point in time where there are so many possibilities that up until five years ago were absolutely unimaginable. I would tell them to look around and make their own path, autonomously, without looking at others. Maybe also doing a job that is completely different and applying it to their design knowledge. This way they transport these techniques to a new world and create their own.