Philippe Starck

Philippe Starck (*1949 in Paris, France) studied at the private academy École Nissim de Camondo in Paris. During the early 1970s he worked for a short time as art director at Pierre Cardin, before establishing his own firm for interior architecture and product design. This step marked the beginning of a highly successful career in both fields: due at least in part to his mastery of self-presentation, Starck has become an internationally renowned "star designer" with an overwhelming number of projects and products. In terms of furniture, Philippe Starck's most important designs have been realized together with the Italian manufacturer Kartell, for all his plastic chairs such as Louis Ghost and La Marie or his Bubble Club Sofa and Armchair. However he regularly works with other manufacturers and, for example, in conjunction with Vitra developed his wonderfully free flowing Baobab desk; the inspiration for which allegedly, is the shape of the seed of the Baobab, or Upside-done tree. Philippe Starck currently divides his time between Paris, New York, London and Burano.