Tatler Style

A New Hope Newly crowned Maison&Objet Designer of the Year Raphael Navot champions natural materials and time-tested craft traditions through the tactile and emotional properties of his work

- Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle

Raphael Navot is an advocate of a "natural future". The Paris-based designer defends the idea of natural materials as they form a patina over time, age well, and have longer lifespans. Surrounding himself with a team of craftspeople, they work together to respect the essence and push the limits of materials.

He explains: "When a material has a natural or handmade motif, I intuitively relate to it. The natural world is incredibly rich and has surpassed any imagined design possible. It's a great source of knowledge for me. Another source is the artisans themselves as they are the closest to the material and the accumulated knowledge. The reason why I am so involved in the making of the pieces is to benefit from these encounters and to learn about the limits and advantages of each craft."

A recent example is Le 39V, a rooftop restaurant in Paris. Navot incorporated a blue-and-grey colour palette, circular textile-padded walls and ceilings in cocooning spaces with sinks sculpted from granite, and its end-grain parquet flooring carved like butcher’s blocks.

Navot’s breakthrough design for the Hôtel National des Arts et Métiers in Paris was also a journey to the heart of the material. The hotel’s restaurant walls are covered in oxidised copper tubes, while the entrance hall features massive handcarved, fluted limestone columns; the property is also furnished with a burnt wood bar counter and a basement staircase sculpted from solid grey marble. “Natural materials and traditional craft are always present and often bespoke for each project, and with certain attributes of organic forms,” says Navot of his creative language.