Mario Sabino is an Italian entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience in the kitchen and furniture industry. After starting his career in Italy, he moved to the United States in 1998 and in 2007 founded The Navona Group, giving birth to Navona, a line dedicated to the contract sector, and to VETTii, a brand of kitchens and high-end residential spaces.
Today its companies operate between the United States and Europe, with production in Italy and international projects in North America, Asia and South Africa, supported by showrooms between Boston and Miami. By combining a deep knowledge of the industry with a constant search for excellence, Mario Sabino brings the elegance and quality of Italian design to homes and buildings worldwide.
His entrepreneurial history was born from an intuition between Italy and the United States. Tell us how the idea of Navona came here and how was born?
I moved to the United States in 1998 and came from a family that in Italy was already in the industry. In my frequent trips to America I realized a fundamental difference: in Italy, when buying or building a house, the kitchen is not included; here instead the builders are obliged to install it. I immediately realized that this was a huge market, but also very difficult to penetrate. I started working on the projects, because in the contract count volumes and management ability. The first real project I got it only in 2011, after almost six years of attempts, especially in Boston, where no one knew me. It was a period of great effort, but when the right occasion finally arrived, from there everything started.
Navona was born as a contract brand. What were the main difficulties and how did the project evolve over the years?
The contract sector is extremely complex. The product, paradoxically, is the least problematic part. The real challenge is the organization: contracts, timing, logistics, production, deliveries. Each project has precise clauses and you cannot afford mistakes. With Navona we grew gradually. After Boston, we started working in New York and other markets. We have built an important portfolio and solid relationships with large real estate groups. Navona is a volume product, designed by us, with catalogs, modules and proprietary models, but produced by a historical partner who works exclusively at our brand. It is as if we produced internally, but with a leaner and more efficient structure.
In 2020, in full pandemic, VETTii was born, the residential brand. Why this choice and what distinguishes VETTi from Navona?
VETTi was born from a different need: the high-end residential. It is a world opposite contract. Here we do not work on volumes, but on uniqueness. VETTii is a completely custom product, crafted, bespoke. We produce directly in Italy, in Pordenone, with a smaller but highly specialized structure. We use superior materials and proprietary technical solutions. We have developed an aluminum frame door on which we can apply different materials, and two mechanisms, Mirabilis and Swing, designed internally. We do not follow a fixed line: each kitchen is built around the customer, the space and the way to live the environment.
n how do the two brands reflect a same design philosophy, while talking to different markets?
The conductor thread is Italian design, but declined in two different ways. Navona is a smart, high quality product, designed for contract: design, reliability and competitive price. It is a very technical work, based on project specifications. VETTii instead is total freedom: materials, finishes, proportions, relationship between individual and space. It is not only an aesthetic question, but also functional. We study mobility in space, everyday use, dialogue between architecture and furniture. In both cases the Made in Italy is not only the place of production, but a way of thinking the project, to present it, to tell it.
Entering the American market with a brand is not easy. What were the main challenges and why do customers choose you today?
With Navona the challenge was to conquer confidence in a market she didn’t know me. With VETTii the difficulty was different: in Boston there are historical and established brands like Scavolini, Poliform. I am not a multibrand: I have created my own brand, niche.The customers choose us because we offer something different: a level of customization that many brands do not have, exclusive technical solutions and a very competitive price-quality ratio for the high range. In addition, Navona and VETTi are two separate worlds: different customers, different architects, different commercial networks. This allows us to be very focused and credible in both segments.
The link with Italy remains central. How is it perceived by the American public and what role has it played in its personal history?
The fact of being Italian counts a lot. We are not intermediaries: we are Italians who sell an Italian product. In my team there are Italian people who speak Italian and communicate daily with production. This is perceived. At first it was not easy. Twenty years ago Italy had no great reputation in terms of reliability. There were many negative cases. I had to conquer the confidence step by step, bringing customers to Italy, making aggressive prices, demonstrating seriousness. Today I look forward to the future with caution: new showrooms, gradual growth in the United States and, since 2026, an expansion in Europe. I always say to young people: America is the dream country, but only if you are willing to work hard. Nothing comes free. If you give everything, however, here everything is possible.
L’articolo Mario Sabino: bringing Italian design to the heart of the American market proviene da IlNewyorkese.
