Paola Navone

After graduating in 1973 she worked as an Art Director at CentroKappa (1975-1979): planning and development of the image, sales instruments, sales outlets, exhibitions and special initiatives. During this period she collaborated with Alessandro Mendini at "MODO" magazine.

From 1979 until the present day she has collaborated with Abet, a company where she got to know its laminates and where she discovered her passion for the decoration of rigid surfaces. Together with research for the Domus Studies Center on the theme of "Industry and Decor", the same years saw the start of her collaboration with Alchimia and Sottsass, Branzi, Guerriero and Knoll International (which asked her to design a series of furniture pieces).

During the 1982-1984 period she designed objects for Alessi, became a consultant for Abet Laminati and took part in the research work conducted by Guido Jannon treating the theme of innovation (together with the Advance Marketing Group of Régie Renault). She held lessons of industrial decor at the Faculty of Architecture in Reggio Calabria and on the planning of the surface in Florence. In 1984 she held a course on the trends of design for fashion stylists at the Center for Professional Formation in Modena and collaborated with the Società Immagine Industriale in the field dealing with product evolution in the textiles, ceramics and furnishing sectors. Together with Daniel Rozensztroch she took part in the "Escape Center" project and in 1985 she worked on "the evolution of signs in electronics" with Guido Jannon and Franco Raggi.

The period spanning 1985-1988 saw a turning point in her approach and attitude towards creativity. She became a consultant for image and production development of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand on behalf of UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) and the World Bank. This activity resulted in the organization of exhibitions, conferences, seminars and consultancy operations.

In 1988, in cooperation with Giulio Cappellini, she created "Mondo" [World], an initiative which ranged from the design of furniture and objects to the image project, marketing and the management of creative staff.

Between 1988 and 1998 her activities literally 'exploded' in a multitude of initiatives treating design, interior decoration and planning. All of these culminated in her entering the Fashion World: with Piazza Sempione, as had already been the case for "Mondo", she developed the concepts of the trademark, sales outlet and showroom in Milan (followed by those in Rome, Düsseldorf and Tokyo).

From 1995 to 1999 he starter a cooperation with many prestigious companies of Italian sector. In 2006: new projects for Poliform.

Her Bijoux-shop designed for Salviati has just been inaugurated in Paris, the first of forty such sales outlets. And - to conclude for the present - seven new Piazza Sempione sales outlets are being made ready for their opening dates in the United States.