‘I didn’t really have a breakthrough moment.
I’ve always jumped from one thing to the
next. It’s a kind of chain; you finish one thing
and start another. I always find myself falling
into new adventures, new challenges. I don’t
have a method. My method is that I have no
method. I don’t keep a notebook or anything
like that. Sometimes I take photographs when
I travel or bring something home with me.
I mostly collect things in my mind.’
‘The design process has two phases. During
the first phase, which includes analysis,
research and discovery, I collect forms,
colours, thoughts. The phase of synthesis
is when some of these references become a
project. One idea sticks to another, and they
become a shape or a project. The second
step happens very quickly. The first phase
of analysis, of looking around, is constant.
It continues night and day. It is almost like
a sickness or, better still, like breathing. All
the little pieces of information go into a
container, where they live in chaos, waiting
to turn into something.’
‘What advice would I give my 20-year-old
self? Although I don’t pretend to have
anything to teach, I’d probably tell myself
to travel more, even more than I did as a
young woman. I’ve always been a globetrot-
ter, but I could have seen even more of the
world. I’ve spent a lot of time in Asia and
North America, but I’ve never been to South
America. Travel is important because it gives
you a chance to collect things, forms, colours,
everything. Travel is a richness, and being
rich is better than being poor.’‘We’re very fortunate to be in a profession that
allows us to have a lot of fun with our work.
I’ve always tried not to take life too seriously.
You can choose to see things from an optimis-
tic stance – a glass of wine half full – or from
a pessimistic perspective – a glass half empty.
Both are right, but one is heavy while the
other is light. Designers who take things too
seriously give too much weight to their work.
Lightness is more important than heaviness.’‘I often compare design to cooking. It’s a bit
like making a frittata. You start by gather-
ing the right ingredients: eggs, potatoes,
zucchini, shrimps, et cetera. You determine
the right amount for each ingredient – a bit
of this, a bit of that – and mix everything
together. You put it in the oven, and in the
end everyone is happy because they’re
enjoying a nice frittata. A good meal pro-
motes sociability. It brings people together
and gets them talking. Good design works in
much the same way. It starts a conversation.’‘Home is everywhere. I wouldn’t say that I’m
rootless but that I have many short roots,
some here, some there. I’m happy everywhere.
I spent 21 years splitting my time between
Milan and Hong Kong. Even then, I was
constantly travelling to other countries,
such as Thailand and the Philippines, whereunderstand how the digital mutation of
our world will continue to change the way
we live in the future, when there will be
less need to give form to our surroundings,
and spaces will be emptier. Designers have
to adapt to this new reality, which I can’t
even imagine, being a massive collector of
objects. I’m addicted to things. My house is
filled with them. I suppose a person like me- someone who’s passionate about texture
and form – might come across as being
somewhat archaic, a bit medieval.’
‘My advice for today’s designers is to stay
curious. Create an identity; do things that are
different and unique to you and your time.
Don’t try to redo what designers have done in
the past. Instead, do something new that only
you can do. And keep thinking about what
you can do for your profession tomorrow.’ ●
paolanavone.it‘People don’t escape through design
any more. They find an escape through
experiences like travel or good food’
I worked with local industries. At the
moment I live in Paris. My office is in Milan,
in Via Tortona. I’m very lucky to have work
that involves so much travel.’‘The world is much more complicated than it
used to be. I think people today are looking
for reassurance and for an escape. Fantasy
can help us escape the difficult moments that
we all face, but people don’t escape through
design any more. They find an escape
through experiences like travel or good food.
I’m constantly going out to eat. It seems eve-
ryone is always hungry. It will be interesting
to see how our means of escape will affect
the world of objects in the future.’‘Will we even need objects in the future?
I imagine a future where things take place
in a way even more immaterial than what
we have today. Young designers ought toNavone currently lives in Paris and has her
office in Milan’s Via Tortona.50 PORTRAITS