" Philippe Starck (born January 18, 1949) is a well-known French designer and probably the best known designer in the New Design style.

His designs range from spectacular interior designs to mass produced consumer goods such as toothbrushes and chairs.

Most notably he has created a number of relatively inexpensive product designs for the large American retailer Target Stores.


His most recent occupations include a mouse (http://www.microsoft.com/products/info/product.aspx?view=22&type=ovr&pcid=717ea5b6-f5b9-4292-92a0-f15212bfe59a) for Microsoft, yachts and even new packaging for a beer company.

Unlike most other New Design artists, Starck's work does not concentrate on the creation of provocative and expensive single pieces. Instead his product designs are of usable household items who Starck himself helps to market for mass production. His products are often stylized, streamlined and organic in their look and are also constructed using unusual combinations of materials (such as glass and stone, plastic and aluminum, plush fabric and chrome, etc.). Two of these designs include stylish toothbrushes 1989 and a sleek lemon press dubbed the Juicy Salif 1990. The Juicy Salif, in fact, has since become an affordable and popular cult item. A notable and world famous interior design job performed by Starck was for the Café Costes in Paris 1984. .[Via wikipedia.org]
His is the master at "exhorting people to be a little more fabulous whether it’s through his housewares for sale at Target, his million-dollar apartments in New York or any of his many Starck-branded products. Now Starck is teaming up with F6, a Geneva conglomerate to create Starck Hotels. Starck has designed several hotels before but these will be the first with his name on the sign. According to the press release Starck wants to create a place where “people are more awesome, are more sexy, are more smart, more sparkling.” Sounds like secret plans for a robot factory of trendsters but we are sure the design will be Starck’s usual combination of white, spare design and quirky wit.

The Milan Furniture Show, gave design’s wonder boy, Phillippe Starck, a chance to strut his stuff. What’s new in Starckland? Guns. His new Gun collection features Beretta-shaped table lamps, floor lamps modeled after the M16 and AK-47s dipped in gold. Starck plans to donate the proceeds to charity and was quoted in this Washington Post article as saying: “I am a designer and design is my only weapon.

What’s next for Starck? In addition to his new hotels, there are also plans for a hydrogen car, and a new boat with a hull which makes no waves at 25 knots. Starck owns 19 houses, flies the world in his private plane, bouncing around the globe and drinking champagne with friends but he also claims to be depressed (it’s his Russian side) and to be a very dark person. He also says that he will be retiring in three years, giving up his 260 odd projects. " [Via luxist.com]