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Meet the Maker: Nava’s Designs
In 1986, with $20,000 in savings, Nava courageously set out on her own to start NAVA'S DESIGNS! Upon Nava's very first day in business, she landed her first account; a retailer called The Juvenile Shop in Sherman Oaks, CA. They remain her loyal customer to this day! Using high thread-count cottons, washable silks, and other fine fabrics, Nava’s bedding and accessories give parents options for decorating not found in big chain stores or malls. The Israli-born designer also takes pride in the fact that every bedding set is hand-cut and sewn in America.
Ellen Anvari of Bellini in Rockville, Maryland has worked with Writz-Shoham for years. "We carry Nava Designs. Nava has unique and different fabrics. She uses lots of silks and jacards. The fabrics she picks and designs are special, definitely high end and very beautiful." Drawing inspiration from many artists, experiences, places and even scents, Nava’s custom handmade bedding boasts imaginative names like “Leonardo”, “Love is in the Air”, “Marrakesh”, and “Courtship Sage”, to name a few. Through her designs, Nava Writz-Shoham, continuously tries to tell a "story" that reminds parents to enjoy their young child, especially those years when they are an infant and so dependent upon loving care and surroundings. Some of her celebrity clients have included: Vanessa Williams (6 times!), Melanie Griffith, Marc Anthony, Richard Dreyfus, Shaquille O'Neal, Warren Sapp, Leeza Gibbons, Christy Brinkley, Joan Lunden, Eddie Murphy, Slash (Guns & Roses) and Bette Midler just to name a few. Nevertheless, Nava does not want to be pigeonholed as a designer for the stars. “I resent this star designer thing because I think think every baby is a star, the star of his mother’s life,” she says. A cancer survivor, Nava became the mother of sons Ariel, 14, and Jordan, 13, through open adoptions and speaks with passion about the joy of parenthood. "To witness the joy people have in choosing their nursery makes you realize how children make our lives so much richer," Nava says. She is continuously decorating baby's nurseries. Often you hear her say, "If Jordan or Ariel were born nowadays, this (new design) would be my choice. Or if I had a daughter, I would call her Gabriella, and this would be my choice for her." Nava believes a baby’s room is history in the making. Bedding, baby shoes, and other mementos can even be stored in a special box to give your child on his wedding day or to pass down as a family heirloom.
Nava loves to receive pictures of babies and their Nava nurseries. "At times I just feel that these images are a reflection of my creative flow." And as anyone who has ever treated themselves and their baby to one of Nava's Design's knows, there is plenty of creativity - and love - flowing through them. "Not only does she (Nava) know your name,” says Anvari, “She knows your husband, your child's name, etc. She really cares about the client. It goes beyond just sales - she wants to know all about you."
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| Feature Article | Meet The Maker | Did You Know | Baby Buzz A Spindle Publishing Company, Inc. Production |
Nava's Designs was founded in 1986 by Nava Writz, a one time sales associate at "Bellini". Within weeks of employment at Bellini, Nava was promoted to store manager and then to in-house baby bedding designer. Nava brought a flare to nursery bedding that no one had seen before, truly pioneering the concept of high end custom “couture baby bedding.”
Nava's Designs has now been in business for almost 20 years, with 400 active retailer accounts; employing 34 people, and offering 175 unique custom designs that are ALL currently available for purchase.
Nava’s empathy for other parents extends beyond designing beautiful bedding. In 2004, Good Morning America had an “I Need a Baby Nursery Makeover” contest. Michael and Marci Sanocki of Gran Blanc had been beset with health problems and relied on in vitro fertilization to become pregnant to find out that they were having triplets. Having spent their savings on in vitro, they weren’t able to decorate a suitable nursery. Their story touched Nava, who donated her interior design skills, baby bedding, and accessories and gave them a beautiful nursery for their two sons and daughter and gained friends for life.
In addition, Nava recently donated her time and products for the show, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” for the Harris family and its sextuplets. Full of energy and spirit, Nava worked with Maggie Thomas, the design producer for the show to plan and create a child’s dreamland for the six 2 ½ year old children. “The energy of the people (on the show) is just so magical,” Nava says. “There is such excitement about the idea that you’re going to give people like the Harrises something…we can always find somebody to donate things, but ‘Extreme Makeover’ makes it a point that it’s not just about giving. It’s a celebration of giving. “