The name Philippe Starck is well-known to the general public. The multi-talented artist created designs for toothbrushes, kitchen ware, furniture, accessories for the bathroom, technical devices, cars, wind turbines, yachts and hotels.
Starck was born in Paris in 1949 and studied there at the Ecole Camondo, a renowned private school for design and architecture. In 1965 he won a competition for the furniture design. In 1968 he founded a company specializing in the manufacture of inflatable objects, which attracted the attention of the public. In 1971 he was Art Director at Pierre Cardin and designed the interiors for diverse night clubs. In 1980 he founded the company Starck Products. In 1982 he decorated François Mitterrand's private apartments at the Elysée Palast. Philippe Starck often collaborates with famous brands like Alessi, Driade and Flos.
Philippe Starck feels committed to the principle of reduction, the ethic of omission. He avoids any unnecessary ornament. His designs are not solely functional. His furnishing concepts and objects aim at making people's lives better and awaking their emotions. Simple and one-of-a-kind at the same time, they have to meet ethical and environment-friendly demands. His concept of "democratic design" implies that accurately designed products should be produced industrially to be affordable for anyone.
The famous citrus-squeezer Starck designed for Alessi in 1990 possesses a marked sculptural character with a characteristic swung shape. Philippe Starck's chair Louis Ghost by Kartell, inspired by the Louis Quinze style is transparent, durable and stackable. Light and elegant, it is reminiscent of the French traditional furniture under the French kings. Another new and original interpretation is the light collection Gun by Philippe Starck for the Italian manufacturer Flos, which combines sculptural weapon replicas with traditional light shades.