Philippe Starck

Philippe Starck was born in Paris in 1949. He graduated from the École Missim de Camondo in 1967 and founded his first design firm in 1968. Starck began his career as an interior designer in the 70?s. His major breakthrough came in 1982 when the then French president Francois Mitterrand commissioned him to design the interior space for the private apartments in the Elysée Palace. This success was followed by his design of Café Costes in 1984, which cemented Starck′s position in the design world. He is also responsible for the design of the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the control tower at Bordeaux airport. The Ará lamp he designed for Flos has been one of his most successful lamp designs. Starck strongly believes that objects should “good” before being beautiful. The designer also believes in the concept of “democratic design” − quality objects at lower prices so that more people can enjoy the best. He considers it his duty to share his ethical and subversive vision of a fairer world. The designer has designed a wide range of objects from furniture to mail-order homes, motorbikes, mega-yachts, even artistic direction for space-travel projects.