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Creative Minds

Creative Mind: Raphael Navot

The Paris artisan’s hand-crafted furnishings, accessories, and interiors evoke landscapes both real and imagined

By Geoffrey Montes
Person crafting a shoe sole in a workshop, focused and using a tool, surrounded by workshop equipment.
Raphael Navot works on a piece. Photo: Courtesy of Les Ateliers Courbet

“I like to mix it up,” says Paris artisan Raphael Navot, whose striking furnishings, accessories, and interiors evoke landscapes both real and imagined. “My process involves conceiving an idea through technology and executing it by hand.” This method was on full display at the most recent Design Miami/, where Les Ateliers Courbet showcased his Topographic Memories collection, a limited-edition series of undulating lamps and tables crafted out of cast bronze and travertine. Produced with Les Ateliers Saint-Jacques and the Fonderie de Coubertin, the timeless pieces embody his desire to conjure what he calls a “nostalgic future.” 

Modern dining room with a wooden table, beige chairs, unique ceiling design, and artistic light fixture.
The new Le 39V restaurant in Paris features interiors by Raphael Navot. Photo: Yann Deret

Process: Navot is currently utilizing 3D printing and lost-wax casting in his practice. “I try to push the craft one step further. It’s always interesting to create a piece that could have been made 50 years ago or 50 years from now.” 

Modern restaurant interior with arching wooden ceiling, stylish blue and grey furniture, and minimalist decor.
The new Le 39V restaurant in Paris features interiors by Raphael Navot. Photo: Yann Deret

“My process involves conceiving an idea through technology and executing it by hand”

Raphael Navot

Modern table lamp with white cylindrical shade and sculpted black base resembling mountain peaks on a minimalist stand
A cast-bronze light sculpture with silk shade. Photo: Courtesy of Les Ateliers Courbet

Up Next: New works will go on view this fall at Friedman Benda in New York—and don’t miss a capsule collection with storied cashmere brand Loro Piana, plus two new hotels and a spa on the French Riviera. 

Modern stone table with an organic, sculptural design on a dark floor and neutral background.
Photo: Courtesy of Les Ateliers Courbet

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2022 Spring Issue under the headline “Creative Minds.” Subscribe to the magazine.