Philippe Starck (Paris 1949-)

"The best everyday example of relativity, the finest symptom of human intelligence, is humor. Design without humor is not human."

Philippe Starck is many things: a living legend, a school dropout, a crazed inventor, an imaginative magician, a design popstar, and a romantic philosopher. Starck has put his particular brand of pizazz on posh New York hotels, a Eurostar train, the private residence of the French president, a personal power-generating windmill, countless chairs, a mass produced citrus-juicer and perhaps, eventhe toothbrush in your bathroom.

Starck’s work is omnipresent and he is certainly one of the most commercially successful and widely known designers of our time. Starckbegan his work as a designer in the 1970s completing the interiors of two night clubs in Paris. This got the attention of then President, Francois Mitterand, who commissionedStarck to work onone of his private apartments.

The 80s and 90s were a creative and prolific time for Starck. His products were fun and whimsical with sensual, appealing forms that hinted at personal identity and clever names that revealed Starck’s playful side. His approach to design is intriguing, intelligent and always at least a little subversive. The things Starck creates seem to break conventional boundaries and subvert expectations. Starck is a designer that delights both the design community and the everyday consumer.

Starck is quite possibly the best known designer in the New Design style. Diverging from many of the other New Design artists, Starck's work is not focused on the creation of dramatic and pricey single pieces. Rather,Starck’s designs gear more towardmass produced, usable household items. Stark’s creations are clever, humour-rich and often subversive, like his Louis Ghost Chair for example, but for all of his whimsy, Starck’s work is among the most respected of the 21st century.