Spotlight on Philippe Starck

Philippe Starck

Wikipedia describes Product Design as being concerned with the efficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products. The name Philippe Starck stands out as being the internationally recognised leader in this field with an extensive design range including design interiors for restaurants and hotels through to mass produced consumer goods such as bathrooms suites, chairs, toothbrushes, and now even wind turbines.

Philippe Patrick Starck now in his 60’s was born in Paris and from an early age he being to create and assemble objects taking inspiration from his father, who was an aircraft engineer. After finishing his education he founded his first design company in 1968, specializing in inflatable objects. Starck’s career accelerated in 1982 when he designed the interior for the private apartments of the French President. He lives in Paris with his wife or on his oyster farm in the southwest of France.

Unique Design Pieces

His visionary products and furnishings are often streamlined and organic in their look and are also constructed using unusual combinations of materials such as glass and stone, plastic and aluminium, plush fabric and chrome. His usable design pieces include: bathroom suites, furniture, crockery, vases, lighting, spectacles, wrist watches, sunglasses, children’s toys, boats, hotel rooms, commercial buildings, houses, and even motorbikes.

His world famous products include The Bubble Club chair featured in television series Boston Legal and The Louis Ghost chair which featured in Ugly Betty. He also creates designs for well know brands such as a sleek juicer known as Juicy Salif for Alessi in 1990 and bathroom suites for Duravit.

He is an enthusiastic advocate of sustainability and has created affordable wind turbines for the home and is also working on innovative wooden prefabricated ecological houses and solar boats.

Philippe Starck Award Winning Product Designer

Philippe’s awards include Designer of the Year, the Design Oscar, Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur, the Grand Prix for Industrial Design and the Compasso d’Oro.

Ocean Bathrooms designer Joe Mühl was extremely pleased to have met Philippe Starck at ‘Designer’ Magazine 2009 Design Award where the fast-talking Philippe was being presented with the ‘Simon Taylor’ award for outstanding contribution to design. “Philippe Starck arrived dressed in a pink hoody and riding a large motor bike,” commented Joe. “He was extremely witty, cracking jokes and making all our table laugh, he certainly has a lot of presence and was exactly as he is seen on his BBC TV designer show”.

‘Design for Life’ search for British Design Talent

In autumn 2009 Starck appeared in a BBC Two programme ‘Design for Life’ in which 12 aspiring British design students competed to gain a six month placement working in Starck’s Paris based company. You could not help being impressed with Philippe’s charismatic style and no nonsense approach to design during his TV selection process.

Waxwork of Starck

On June 15th the Musee Grevin is due to unveil a waxwork of Philippe Starck showing him standing next to one of his famous chair designs. The Paris waxworks museum commented that “It is the first time in Grevin’s history that a designer will be admitted,”

You don’t have to travel far to see and buy one of Philippe Starck’s quality design creations. Here at Ocean Bathrooms in Bridport, Dorset, we stock Starck Single Acrylic Baths as well as the affordable Duravit Starck Bathroom range.