Navona Placemaking is a boutique design firm founded with two intertwined goals: creating Art and enhancing experiences within the built environment. We love working with our clients to create engaging, enchanting, encompassing places that tell a story.
Inspiration
Our name is borrowed from Piazza Navona, one of the most picturesque public squares in Rome (and certainly our favorite!)
A walk around the piazza offers a wonderful example of the holistic design philosophy our team works to apply in each of our projects. Brought to life with beautiful architecture, monumental fountains, al fresco dining, and flowering balcony gardens – this is a place that connects with everyone who visits.
Historically, the piazza was even turned into an interactive mirror-pool in the summertime – the first example of a public water feature of this type that we’re aware of! Piazza Navona is a place where people love to spend time, and where lasting memories are made daily – exactly the qualities we want to create for you.
Chris Roy – Founder
As a collaborative designer, Chris loves working with others to understand their vision and goals, then digging into the details of a project to find and understand the kernel at the core of the concept and bring that to light as inspiration for Art that will truly make a project pop as a unique place.
Chris has had a lifelong fascination with and love of making and creating as well as research and learning. These passions have driven his design career; over the past twenty years, Chris has worked in the film industry, architectural studios, interior design, garden design, art fabrication, printmaking, and, most prominently, water feature design. The underlying theme of Chris’s career has been narrative – creating design, art, places, things, and experiences that tell a story.
Along the way, Chris has paid attention to not only the creative side of the process, but also the business and development side. Working with top artists, architects, landscape architects, and developers around the world, along with travel to amazing public spaces and gardens near and far, has given Chris a great deal of insight into what makes certain Places and Experiences special and memorable, qualities that he strives to create in every one of his projects.
Seth Blum – Founder
Worldwide travel and lifelong interests in art and nature provide Seth with a palette of creative inspiration. His adventurous life is led by the draw and energy of public squares filled with art and fountains, diving coral reefs, or trekking across deserts and jungles. These valuable experiences with diverse people, customs, art, and natural ecology lend a unique global perspective to Seth’s work.
On the practical side, Seth is a seasoned team builder who leads with confidence and sensitivity to the diverse needs of clients and colleagues. His unique combination of empathy and grit enable him to align stakeholders toward a successful project outcome. This approach puts clients at ease, bringing confidence that their project’s needs will be met.