A ubiquitous name in the world of contemporary architecture and design, Philippe Starck has created everything from hotel interiors and luxury yachts to toothbrushes and teakettles. Yet for every project in his diverse portfolio, Starck has maintained an instantly recognizable signature style: a look that is dynamic, sleek, fluid and witty.
The son of an aircraft engineer, Starck studied interior design at the École Nissim de Camondo in Paris. He started his design career in the 1970s decorating nightclubs in the city, and his reputation for spirited and original interiors earned him a commission in 1983 from French president François Mitterrand to design the private apartments of the Élysée Palace. Starck made his name internationally in 1988 with his design for the interiors of the Royalton Hotel in New York, a strikingly novel environment featuring jewel-toned carpeting and upholstery and furnishings with organically shaped cast-aluminum frames. He followed that up in 1990 with an equally impressive redesign of the Paramount Hotel in Manhattan, a project that featured over-scaled furniture as well as headboards that mimicked Old Masters paintings.
Like their designer, furniture pieces by Starck seem to enjoy attention. Designs such as the wedge-shaped J Series club chair; the sweeping molded-mahogany Costes chair; the provocative Ara table lamp; or the sinuous WW stool never fail to raise eyebrows. Other Starck pieces make winking postmodern references to historical designs. His polycarbonate Louis Ghost armchair puts a new twist on Louis XVI furniture; his Out-In chair offers a futuristic take on the classic English high-back chair. But for all his flair, Starck maintains a populist vision of design. While one of his limited-edition Prince de Fribourg et Treyer armchairs might be priced at $7,000, a plastic Starck chair for the Italian firm Kartell is available for around $250. As you will see on 1stDibs, Philippe Starck’s furniture makes a bold statement — and it can add a welcome bit of humor to even the most traditional decor.
Clift armchair by Philippe Starck
By Philippe Starck
Located in PARIS, FR
Philippe Starck (b. 1949) Clift Armchair, ca. 2001 Mahogany plywood and brown imitation leather Model created for the Clift Hotel in San Francisco, USA H. 71 x W. 51 x D. 46 cm H. 28...
Faux Leather, Mahogany
Jane Paille chair by Philippe Starck
By Philippe Starck
Located in PARIS, FR
Philippe Starck Chaise Jane Paille, Ca. 1987 Edition Driade, Italie Bois teinté marron foncé, assise en papier tressé façon paille H. 89 x L. 66 x P. 63 cm H. 35 1/8 x W. 26 x D. 24 ...
Wood, Plywood
Wendy Wright chair by Philippe Starck
By Philippe Starck
Located in PARIS, FR
Iconic piece by Philippe Starck designed in the 1980s and named after a character from the sci-fi novel of Philip K. Dick this piece is a masterpiece of 1980s design with a lot of ch...
Steel
Bob Dubois chair by Philippe Starck
By Philippe Starck
Located in PARIS, FR
Philippe Starck (b. 1949) Chaise Bob Dubois, Ca. 1987 Édition Driade, Italie Bois de poirier, assise en papier tressé façon paille, logo embossé sur le dossier H. 91 x L. 36 x P. 51 ...
Fruitwood, Bentwood
Rare pair of Len Niggelman armchairs by Philippe Starck
By Philippe Starck
Located in PARIS, FR
Designed for the iconic Royalton Hotel in New York commissioned by Ian Schrager to Philippe Starck in the 1980s, the Len Niggelman armchair is a mix of chic and radicality. Starck sa...
Aluminum
Pair of Len Niggelman armchairs by Philippe Starck
By Philippe Starck
Located in PARIS, FR
Designed for the iconic Royalton Hotel in New York commissioned by Ian Schrager to Philippe Starck in the 1980s, the Len Niggelman armchair is a mix of chic and radicality. Starck sa...
Aluminum
Philippe Starck, armchair designed by J. Lang for Driade Aleph, 1987
By Driade, Philippe Starck
Located in Saarbrücken, SL
The armchair J. Lang, designed in 1987 by Philippe Starck for Driade Aleph, is a striking, sculptural piece of furniture with a strong iconic character. The generously dimensioned se...
Aluminum
Armchair Baleri Italia Richard III design Philippe Starck
By Philippe Starck, Baleri Italia
Located in Varedo, MB
Brand: Baleri Italy Model: Richard III Armchair Design: Philippe Starck, 1985 Richard III is a highly symbolic armchair that reinterprets the essence of bourgeois décor through a co...
Leather, Plastic
Philippe Starck Passion Armchair For Cassina
By Philippe Starck
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Philippe Starck Passion Armchair For Cassina Designed by Philippe Starck, the Passion design chair embodies Cassina’s commitment to innovation and ability to blend stylistic elegan...
Fabric
King Costes Armchair by Philippe Starck for Driade, 1992
By Philippe Starck, Driade
Located in Asti, Piemonte
Reinterpretation of the Costes armchair, King Costes modifies its size and static nature, confirming the absolute recognizability of the image and the ability of some products to las...
Aluminum
"King Costes" Armchair by P. Stark for Driade
By Philippe Starck, Driade
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"King Costes" is an iconic armchair, designed by Philippe Starck and manufactured by Driade, featuring a polished aluminum structure and curved plywood striped wenge or bamboo finished shell. Polyurethane foams padded seat with black or light colored leather fixed cover. Indoor use only. DIMENSIONS: D. 22", W. 19.8", H. 31.8", Seat H. 18.5" Philippe Starck revisits Costes easy chair project with King Costes armchair, changing its size and statics, while confirming its image as a recognizable piece of design, untouched by passing fads. PHILIPPE STARCK is an internationally acclaimed French creator, designer and architect. His profound comprehension of contemporary mutations, his determination to change the world, his anticipatory concern for environmental implications, his love of ideas, his desire to defend the intelligence of usefulness and the usefulness of intelligence have accompanied one iconic creation after the other. From everyday products such as furniture and lemon squeezers to revolutionary mega-yachts, individual windmills, electric bikes...
Aluminum
Philippe Starck Black Chair Armchair Driade Aleph Model Pratfall
By Philippe Starck, Driade
Located in Munich, Bavaria
Armchair model Pratfall by Philippe Starck for Italian manufacture Driade Aleph. Black leather and black lacquered plywood shell on black steel tube. Th...
Steel
