Philippe Starck

French, born 1949

BiographyThe internationally renowned designer Philippe Starck is one-part showman, one-part prolific designer. He has created everything from furniture and kitchenware to motorcycles and hotel interiors in his search to provide stylish solutions for modern living. As he said in a 1996 interview, "When I stop producing, I will disappear".

Starck first received attention with his furniture designs of the mid-1980s. He quickly parlayed his success with furniture into designing objects for such international firms as Alessi. Starck's designs are generally curvaceous or leggy; sometimes they are even organic in form. Although Starck began designing with wood, his work since the early 1990s has primarily been in aluminum or plastics. It is through these materials that he can achieve a certain aesthetic and still have the objects remain affordable. Not surprisingly, the function of Starck's objects is not always readily apparent. This fact combined with his predilection for naming his objects in an obtuse manner adds to the Starck mystique.

Person TypePerson