Cover The Loro Piana Interiors installation held during Milan Design Week in June 2022. (All images: Courtesy of Loro Piana Interiors)

Paris-based designer Raphael Navot shares insights into how he creates curvy furnishings and an enigmatic installation inspired by desert dunes for Loro Piana Interiors

There is a quiet elegance to the work of Paris-based designer Raphael Navot, coupled with the sensual softness expressed through the curvy forms and tactile materials used in his designs. His understated aesthetic can be keenly felt in the Loro Piana Interiors showcase held during Milan Design Week in June.

Navot’s enigmatic scenography, created in collaboration with Italian company, features Loro Piana’s new furnishings, set against a fully carpeted scenography in earthy shades that captured the mystique and beauty of desert dunes. The result is a striking yet memorable tableau within a modern setting; the installation is housed in the new Loro Piana headquarters in Milan’s notable Brera design district. Along with the other guests present at the event, I felt transported into a calm and cocooning environment that feels miles away from the bustle of the main street and the design week festivities.

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Above The installation alludes to the desert environment from which cashmere wool is sourced from

Already known for its finesse in producing home furnishing fabrics and knitwear in the finest fabrics that include cashmere, merino wool, and silk, as well as exquisite leather goods, the Italian company expands its home design selection with its first-ever Loro Piana Interiors boutique, opened within its new Milanese headquarters.

The evocative Milan Design Week installation shown in June is an ode to the homelands of cashmere wool; the majority of which is derived from goats reared in the Gobi desert that runs between Mongolia and China. The desert theme is also a tribute to the fine textile-making techniques of the brand, and a nod to the sinuous shapes and terracotta shades of furnishings from the Palm collection that Navot designed for Loro Piana Interiors.

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Above Paris-based designer Raphael Navot
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Above A daybed and stools from the Palm collection by Raphael Navot for Loro Piana Interiors

Navot’s work marries a harmonious blend of materiality and a deep respect and understanding of the specialised work of ateliers, while conveying the handmade beauty of artisan-crafted pieces. The designer is also the creative mind behind the beautiful interiors of Hotel National des Arts et Métiers and Silencio members’ club in Paris, as well as showrooms and other elegant spaces around Europe.

Here, the designer tells us more about his designs for Loro Piana Interiors, and how his creative process is shaped by the beauty of nature, craft traditions, and organic materials.

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Above The Palm Duet chaise longue and ottoman by Raphael Navot for Loro Piana Interiors
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Above The Low Overlap table and Palm sofa by Raphael Navot for Loro Piana Interiors
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Above The Palm stools by Raphael Navot for Loro Piana Interiors
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Could you describe your design philosophy?

Raphael Navot (RN) I often work by a principle I call “Natural Future”: it is a way to look forward with both passion and respect to nature. Whether it is the craft itself, the forms or their materiality, I often prefer these designs to be speaking to our primordial senses and aim for the pieces to be corporally understood.

Your work often combines organic forms with an ode to craftsmanship. How did that influence your collaboration with Loro Piana Interiors?

RN
The unique sensorial experience of touching Loro Piana Interiors’ fabrics or discovering their meticulously selected colour range has greatly inspired the Palm collection. Cashfur’s [a textile by Loro Piana] unique combination of cashmere with a touch of silk has been the departure point for this entire collection. I was excited to discover how well it wraps an organic form to the point of giving it a life of its own.

Aside from the fabrics themselves, the elegant history of the brand and the integrity of the craft have been a great departure point for this collection as I was both humbled and excited to have this dialogue with the sensible team of Loro Piana Interiors. 

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Above The Palm Méridienne & The Palm Armchair
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Above A close-up of the Palm stools from Loro Piana Interiors

What was the inspiration for the Palm collection for Loro Piana Interiors? How is it expressed in the Milan Design Week installation?

RN This collection is a direct evolution from the first piece we unveiled which is the Palm Duet chaise longue, a revisited version of the chaise longue. This piece gave birth to this entire collection. Many of the forms portrayed in this collection are a visual mirror to the sensation one might have once engaging with the fabrics: the sensational waves, the surprising touch and the comfort they offer. These organic dunes and curves are at the same time tamed in order to remain timeless.

Could you share more about a colour or material that you enjoy using and why?

RN
I do not have a prioritised colour or material, although I am intuitively attracted to the ones who are somewhat soothing. [These include materials like] wood, bronze, and stone; patina and brushed [finishes]; [and colours like] warm greys, deep whites, silver greens, and heartfelt reds. 

What keeps you inspired? Is there a design style that you’ll always find timeless, and why?

RN
I do not associate myself with a certain style nor do I prefer one to the other. I have grown to believe that any type of design or layout can be wonderful as long as the intention behind it is genuine.

Most of my projects do not necessarily resemble one another, although the values behind them are similar. I try to let the material and its craft take the lead and avoid decorative features that might distract from the inherent beauty of the matter, and at the same time, respect certain simplicity and practicality without losing the grace or the poetry of the forms.

Can you tell us more about your upcoming projects?

RN I am currently focused on a hospitality project [themed around the concept] of well-being in a rare location in Spain that is focused on high standard sustainability, and within a historical setting in the middle of incredible nature.

This October, I will unveil my first solo show with Friedman Benda Gallery in New York, which will feature more eccentric European [designs], crafted from [materials such as] bronze, concrete and burnt wood. 

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