For each show, Maison&Objet announces a recipient of its esteemed Designer of the Year Award. This is intended to recognise and celebrate the work of a designer who demonstrates exceptional talent and skill in the international design and decoration scene. Maison&Objet has announced that Parisian-based Raphael Navot is the recipient of the Designer of the Year Award for this January 2023 edition. The famous show made the following statement about the subject: Raphael Navot, who is a multidisciplinary interior designer, will showcase “The Apothem Lounge” for the duration of the trade fair. This immersive installation is designed to “portray a visual emotion”, through the curation of an open structure that will rapture people with light and texture. Raphael Navot was born in Jerusalem (Israel) in 1977. In 2003 he received a Bachelor’s degree in Conceptual Design from Design Academy Eindhoven, after which he settled in Paris, embarking on exploring the disciplines of design and interior architecture.
Subsequently, his portfolio is a rich spread of multi- disciplinary projects that showcase French craftsmanship and skill, ranging from examples of hospitality interiors to both bespoke and commercial product design. He worked with David Lynch on the Parisian nightclub Silencio (2011), collaborated on the production of a highly technical line of end-grain flooring for Oscar Ono (2016), and created a collection of 12 families of furniture – from sofas and tables to rugs and lamps – for Roche Bobois (2018). However, it is his work on the Hôtel National des Arts et Métiers (2017) that has possibly been the most significant endeavour for the designer so far. He unveiled this past year the continuation of his furniture collaboration with Loro Piana, “A Portrait of Comfort” at the Salone del Mobile in Milan and a 50 rooms, 10 private apartments hotel in Cannes, Hotel Belle Plage. Through “On the Same Subject”, his latest work for Friedman Benda in New York, he follows his ongoing collaboration with the gallery and the dialogue between handcraft and the natural landscape. Opening at the end of the year, Dame des Arts will be Raphael Navot’s second hotel located in the heart of Paris.
