Paola Navone

Paola Navone
Name	Paola Navone
Birth date	1950
Birth place	Turin, Italy
Occupation	Designer, architect, curator, educator
Years active	1970s–present

Paola Navone is an Italian designer, architect, curator, and educator known for an eccentric, eclectic approach to product, furniture, interior, exhibition and set design. She emerged from the late 20th-century Italian design scene and has worked with numerous international manufacturers, galleries, museums and institutions across Europe, North America and Asia. Navone's practice blends craft traditions with contemporary industrial production, engaging with manufacturers, artisans and cultural organizations.

Early life and education

Navone was born in Turin and raised in Piedmont, where nearby cultural landmarks such as Turin's museums, Milan's trade fairs and the industrial heritage of Turin metropolitan area influenced her early exposure to material culture. She studied architecture and the visual arts at institutions associated with the Italian design milieu of the 1960s and 1970s, interacting with figures linked to Politecnico di Milano, Istituto Europeo di Design, and networks connected to the Milan Triennale and the Salone del Mobile.Milano. During these formative years she encountered contemporaries involved with Alchimia (design group), Memphis Group, and thinkers connected to the broader currents around Gillo Dorfles and Bruno Munari.

Career beginnings and Milan scene

Navone's career began in the vibrant Milan scene of the 1970s and 1980s, a milieu that included designers and architects associated with Gae Aulenti, Achille Castiglioni, Ettore Sottsass, Michele De Lucchi, Vico Magistretti and the galleries exhibiting work by Alessandro Mendini. She collaborated with studios and design workshops that interfaced with Italian manufacturers such as Cassina S.p.A., Kartell, Poltrona Frau, and contemporary publishers active around the SaloneSatelliti network. Her early work intersected with editorial projects for design magazines connected to Domus (magazine), Casabella, and Abitare, and with curators organizing exhibitions at venues like the Triennale di Milano and the Fondazione Prada.

Design philosophy and style

Navone's design philosophy emphasizes cross-cultural exchange, material experimentation and the fusion of artisanal techniques with mass production. Influences trace to encounters with figures such as Lele Luzzati, Alvaro Siza Vieira, Tadao Ando, Jean Prouvé, and practitioners active in craft revivals linked to institutions like the Victoria and Albert Museum, Cooper Hewitt, and the Museum of Modern Art. Her aesthetic often juxtaposes rough textures and bright colors, referencing vernacular crafts from regions including Morocco, India, Japan, Peru and Mexico. The approach resonates with postmodern trajectories found in works by Robert Venturi, Michael Graves, Ettore Sottsass and movements such as Memphis Group while aligning with contemporary sustainability dialogues taking place at organizations like UNESCO and World Crafts Council.

Major works and notable projects

Navone's portfolio spans furniture collections, interior commissions, exhibition designs and scenography for galleries and cultural events. She has produced notable product lines for companies including B&B Italia, Artemide, Fritz Hansen, Moroso (company), Driade, Cassina, Gervasoni and Cappellini. Her interior and hospitality projects include commissions in cities such as Milan, New York City, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Paris and Barcelona, sometimes collaborating with hospitality brands linked to groups like Design Hotels and institutions such as the Royal Institute of British Architects. She designed exhibition spaces for museums and biennials including the Milan Triennale, the Venice Biennale, the Salone del Mobile, and special projects associated with galleries in London, Berlin, Madrid, Amsterdam, and Stockholm.

Collaborations and partnerships

Navone has worked with a wide array of manufacturers, designers, artisans, chefs and cultural organizations. Longstanding partnerships include work with companies such as Artemide, B&B Italia, Moroso, Driade, Cassina, Fritz Hansen, Gervasoni and retailers tied to Roche Bobois. Collaborative projects have brought her into contact with chefs and restaurateurs active in networks around Nobu, Osteria Francescana, Heston Blumenthal, and hospitality groups operating properties listed by Michelin Guide establishments. She has collaborated with curators and critics connected to Hans Ulrich Obrist, Alessandro Mendini, Denise Scott Brown, Jasper Morrison, Patricia Urquiola and institutions such as the Vitra Design Museum, Design Museum, Fondazione Prada, MAXXI, and Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia.

Teaching and curatorial activities

Navone has taught and lectured at design schools and universities including programs affiliated with the Politecnico di Milano, IED (Istituto Europeo di Design), Domus Academy, Royal College of Art, Parsons School of Design, and universities in Tokyo, Shanghai, New York City and Barcelona. Her curatorial work has been shown at venues such as the Triennale di Milano, Venice Biennale, Design Biennale Rotterdam, and exhibitions organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, Cooper Hewitt, MoMA PS1 and regional contemporary art centers across Europe and Asia.

Awards and recognitions

Throughout her career Navone has received awards and honors from design institutions and foundations including prizes and mentions from the Compasso d'Oro, institutions associated with the Triennale di Milano, and accolades from trade fairs such as the Salone del Mobile. Her work has been featured in permanent collections and acquisitions by museums including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Vitra Design Museum, Cooper Hewitt and national design collections in Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Japan.

Category:Italian designers Category:Italian architects Category:Living people