Philippe Starck

Phillipe Starck is on of the best-known contemporary designers in the world. He has not only received public acclaim for his amazing building interior designs but has also proved to be an accomplished architect and product designer.

Much of his work produced in the 1980's and 1990's was influenced by fashion and novelty. It has even been referred to by some as being 'overdesigned'. In the 21st century his approach to design seems to have changed.

Starck has recently promoted the ethos that honesty and integrity should be at the core of design. Products should not created as 'throw away artifacts', only surviving for as long as they remain in fashion but should ideally have longevity and durability. He believes that as designers we need to be both honest and objective.

Philippe Starck was born in Paris on 18th January 1949 the son of an aircraft designer, it is he who probably inspired the young Starck. Even at a very early age Starck showed enthusiasm for design. Starck lives and works in Paris.

Products designed by Starck can be seen on display in the collections of a number of European and American museums, among them the Brooklyn Museum in New York, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and the Museum of Design in London. Exhibitions of his work, either alone or in conjunction with that of other designers, have been held, among other places, in Paris, Marseille, Rome, Munich, Düsseldorf, Kyoto, Tokyo, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York

Below are just some of Starck's accomplishments.

Mid-sixties Starck attended the Ecole Nissim de Camondo in Paris.
1968 Starck set up his first company producing inflatable objects.
1976 Starck fitted out the Paris nightclub La Main Bleue.
1978 Starck fitted out the Paris night club Les Bains-Douches.
1979 Starck founded the "Starck Product" company.
1982 Starck worked as an interior designer and refurbishing the private apartments in the Elysée Palace in Paris for President Mitterrand of France.
1984 Starck designed the interior of the Café Costes in Paris.
1985 Starck designed the interior of the Cafe, Manin in Tokyo.
1987 Starck designed a number of private dwelling houses and apartment blocks, for example Lemoult in Paris.
1988 Starck was responsible for the interior design of the Royalton in New York.
1989 Starck was responsible for designing the La Flamme building in Tokyo, commissioned by the Asahi brewery.
1989 Starck designed commercial premises for the French cutlery company Laguiole.
1990 Starck was responsible for designing the Nani Nani office building for Rikugo.
1990 Starck was responsible for the interior design of the Paramount hotels in New York.
1990 Starck designed the interior of the Cafe,Teatriz in Madrid.
1991 He played a leading role in the design of the Groningen Museum in the Netherlands
1991 Starck designed The Green Baron Office Block commissioned by Meisei in Osaka.
1991 Starck Designed the Apartments, The Angle in Antwerp.
1991 Starck responsible for the design of 18 rental apartment buildings in Los Angeles.
1991 Starck also created the designs for a private house in Madrid.
1991 Starck designed commercial premises for an organic products manufacturer near Bordeaux.
1991 Starck designs a whole street block, La Rue Starck.


In addition to all of the above, during the 1980s Starck designed numerous collections. He also created individual items of furniture to be manufactured by firms all over the world.

In the field of industrial design, he has been responsible for the creation of a wide variety of objects in the O.W.O. Series, noodles for Panzani, boats for Beneteau, mineral-water bottles for Glacier, kitchen appliances for Alessi, toothbrushes for Fluocaril, luggage for Vuitton, "Urban Fittings" for Decaux, office furniture for Vitra, as well as vehicles, computers, doorknobs, spectacle frames, etc. Starck´s work has brought him numerous prizes and awards.

Useful Websites

http://www.philippe-starck.com/index01.html

http://www.skewarch.com/architects/starck/