Philippe Starck

The enfant terrible of design

When Philippe Starck and Duravit realized their first joint project in 1994, it was love at first sight, but no one could have guessed how successful this liaison would be. The breakthrough came with the famous "Starck toilet," which is still one of Duravit's bestsellers today. "I always said that the bathroom should be a wet living room. But no one understood me. Except Duravit. That's why I love Duravit."

Philippe Starck was born on January 18, 1949, in Paris, the son of aircraft designer André Starck and his wife Jacqueline. Starck spent his childhood under his father's drawing table, where he spent hours sawing, cutting, gluing, and sanding. Philippe Starck inherited his inventive spirit from his father and his poetic view of the world and elegant lifestyle from his mother. It was also his mother who advised him to study design at the Ecole Nissim de Camondo in Paris. He took his first steps as a designer with inflatable objects, among other things, before Starck became known for furnishing the private rooms of French President François Mitterrand in the Élysée Palace in 1983. The interior design of the Café Costes in Paris made him an international star shortly thereafter. Today, he creates "intelligent" objects full of humanity: televisions (Thomson), luggage (Samsonite), kettles, knives, vases, clocks, motor scooters, motorcycles (Aprilia), strollers (Maclaren), computer mice (Microsoft), even ships and houses—ultimately objects for all areas of life.

Image: ©James Bort