History NAO Made in Spain The making of NAO

Expert hands are required to translate moments from life into the beautiful figures that make up the Nao collection. This is why NAO porcelains are produced by veteran craftsmen in the company’s own local workshops near Valencia, in Spain. The NAO collection comprises almost three hundred figurines and it is continuously renovated as new creations are added to our catalogue every year. These figurines give NAO designers and artisans a wonderful chance to demonstrate their creativity, a feature highly appreciated by the many NAO collectors worldwide.

It all begins with an original design. NAO creatives are inspired by life itself, and it is here that they find a gesture defining a moment of happiness, that will allow them to shape into a beautiful memory.

NAO artisans transform the initial sketch into a clay figurine, stamping their own personal touch on the character, now distilling charm and expressiveness.

The technical team studies the sketch and divides it into many fragments which are used to reproduce the sculpture through various molds in a complex process.

The molds are filled with liquid porcelain, and once the mixture is set, the fragments shaping the figurine are carefully removed. Then, the various fragments are assembled by NAO artisans using liquid porcelain.

The figurines are hand painted by specialized artists before they are fired. The pigments are applied depending on the final coloring after the firing and varnishing process.

Once they are varnished, the pieces are fired for 24 hours in a special kiln.

The creations are then ready to captivate the hearts of thousands of people all over the world.