"To me, luxury is a complete space and the comfort that users can feel."
It is hard to talk about the Italian high-end luxury furniture brand Baxter without mentioning designer Paola Navone. Navone began collaborating with Baxter in 2002 and is credited with establishing the brand's identity and leading its heyday.
In Korea, Baxter is imported by Ace Bed. On May 14, at the Baxter showroom in Ace Avenue in Gangnam, Seoul, Navone told ChosunBiz that rather than chasing the latest trends, her firm philosophy is to make furniture that allows users to rest most snugly at home.
After graduating from Politecnico di Torino in 1973, Navone worked across architecture, interiors, and industrial design. She developed furniture collections for Knoll International and collaborated with global brands including Alessi, Natuzzi, and Swarovski. At Baxter, she introduced an original processing method that makes leather feel as soft as fabric, playing a key role in establishing Baxter as a brand that leads change.
What was the secret behind Baxter, which originally made classical and rigid leather furniture, meeting Navone and rapidly growing into a global brand? Navone cited organic communication with on-site artisans and flexibility that does not fear challenges as the driving force behind a collaboration that has lasted more than 22 years. "More than drawing the shape of a design on blueprints, Baxter's real competitive edge lies in clashing and conversing directly with factory artisans to calibrate the desired texture and comfort," she said.
She explained that the higher-end the furniture, the more important it is not to follow trends. With countless furniture brands pouring into the market, a differentiated identity is becoming more important. "Designs made with trends in mind become 'old designs' the moment they hit the market," she said, emphasizing, "What matters is simplicity and coziness that remain unchanged over time."
In fact, the Budapest sofa, Baxter's signature model and bestseller designed by Navone, remains popular worldwide 22 years after its launch. It features a frame made of fir and poplar matched with goose down cushions, breaking leather's inherent stiffness to create naturally cascading comfort. "I hope Baxter's products blend into users' lives and become companions that can stay with them for a lifetime," she said. The following is a Q&A.
—You have been collaborating with Baxter since 2002. How did it first start?
"In fact, before our collaboration, the Baxter I knew was a company run by founder Luigi Bestetti and his nephew Paolo Bestetti that made somewhat classical leather furniture. One day, the two came to my home for a drink and proposed that I design for Baxter, but I flatly refused. At the time, Baxter's products were too stiff, like Ferrari car seats or office chairs, and I didn't like that kind of leather furniture—I wouldn't even bring it into my own home. But after their persistent persuasion, I agreed on the condition that 'I would make soft furniture that I could use comfortably at home and live with.' I started by stripping away the heavy brown tones of leather and achieving beautiful gray tones and soft textures."
—Did you get an immediate response from your first collection?
"Not at all. We showed products at an exhibition, and except for one importer from Greece who bought everything, there was no reaction from other customers. I even told Paolo that we should remain good friends but stop working together. But he didn't give up and suggested we try once more. Later at the Milan Furniture Fair, we presented a much larger, cozier booth that matched Moroccan-style wool with vibrant colors. From then on, the products started selling like hotcakes. For 22 years since, sales of my collection have increased every year. I think I was lucky."
—You put strong emphasis on communicating with artisans when designing. Any anecdotes tied to products?
"When making the bestselling Budapest sofa, I wanted the leather cushions to avoid a fixed shape and to collapse naturally downward. But the artisans initially didn't understand handling leather that way. If you cut too straight, it becomes stiff, and if you cut it wrong, it sags excessively. To nail the perfect comfort, we had to shuttle back and forth to the factory and revise the prototypes more than five or six times. This process is costly and requires tremendous effort to reach a certain stage.
What I was asking for was beyond the artisans' imagination at first, so they didn't know what to do. What I wanted was an internal challenge for them as well. So we had to try it ourselves and trust each other. As the product began to sell well, the artisans gradually gained confidence and poured in their energy."
—What is the standard you care about most when creating a piece?
"Comfort. Every other element—type of leather, external form, internal filling—serves to reach comfort. After a tiring day, I want it to give a feeling of warmly embracing you when you return home. It should be very refined and simple, yet comfortable."
—Is there a type of leather you find particularly suited to comfort?
"I can't single out one specific leather. Comfort is completed when three elements—type of leather, the product's form, and the feel of the internal filling—combine perfectly."
—Where do you mainly get design inspiration? You often attach city names like Miami and Chicago to product names. Is that related to travel?
"I get inspiration from everywhere. First, I collect information and images nonstop, 24 hours a day. Not only when traveling from Milan to Seoul but also when going to the neighborhood supermarket or a flea market, I always observe and absorb my surroundings like a sponge. I toss information haphazardly into a giant basket and pull it out quickly when I need to design.
We decided in the early days to attach geographical names to products instead of agonizing over difficult, complicated names each time with CEO Paolo. After a design is finished, we match it with a city name connected to the product's feel."
—Today's consumers are very sensitive to trends. How do you strike a balance between trend and classic?
"I don't care about trends at all. If you design chasing trends, it becomes a thing of the past the moment it's made. I make what feels right at that moment. The furniture I aim for is simple and comfortable whenever you see it. If you don't follow fads, it won't look dated over time."
—Baxter is considered a high-end luxury brand. What is real luxury to you?
"To me, luxury is comfort and a space you want to linger in. Today, the word itself has become overly consumed and worn out. I don't think there is any need to talk about luxury as a grand modifier anymore."
—How do you want consumers to feel and remember your Baxter pieces?
"I hope that after consumers buy the product and bring it home, they feel such perfect comfort sitting on it that they never want to get up. I don't want furniture bought to show off to others, but pieces that, even if time passes and they get a little scuffed and bear traces of use, people don't mind and can live with for a lifetime—furniture that feels truly their own."