Hospitality Design - July 2013 - 71

products

proﬁle

philippe
starck
By Ashleigh VanHouten
Photography courtesy of James Bort
(headshot), Ceramica Sant’Agostino,
Duravit, and Hansgrohe Axor

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STARCK SOLUTIONS
Creating iconic, ubiquitous, and political designs

Visionary, artist, traveler, professor, pioneer,
environmentalist—these are just a few oftused descriptors of French-born designer
Philippe Starck. His unique stamp can be
found on hotels, restaurants, and private
residences around the world, as well as
products ranging from furniture and
bath accessories to streetlights and alarm
clocks. “I was never interested in design
or architecture. It is design that chose me,
somehow. Creating is a mental sickness and
it is the only thing I am able to do,” he says.
“Whether it is a toothpick, an airplane, a
mega yacht, or a faucet, it is always the same
philosophy: to think of the profit of the final
user, and to start from the highest vision and
ethical standpoint.”
Starck is known for thinking above
and beyond the aesthetics of a project to its
potential for human connection as well as
an opportunity to send a political message—
almost despite the beauty of his work, he
consciously overlooks “materiality” to get to
the honesty of its function and message. “I
use design as a political weapon, to spread
ideas such as democratic design—that
is, to increase quality for the most people

while decreasing price—and this was very
new thirty years ago when design was
dedicated only to the elite,” he explains. “I
am continuing now with democratic ecology,
which is to create ecological products that
are easy to find and use at affordable prices.”
An example is his Axor Starck Organic
line. This sleek series of faucets references
both “vegetal” shapes and that of the human
body to “remind us of the coherence between
us and saving water.”
His clean, vibrant Flexible Architecture
ceramic tile collection with Ceramica
Sant’Agostino utilizes the grout as a
part of the design concept rather than a
simple functional element, a detail Starck
attributes to the craftsmanship and abilities
of the Sant’Agostino team. And there’s his
longstanding relationship with Duravit,
resulting in three comprehensive bathroom
lines spanning more than 20 years. His
newest pieces, from the Starck 2 series,
include a minimalist washbasin and bathtub
with integrated headrest.
While we will undoubtedly continue
to see more from Starck—especially
innovations at the intersection of

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1. Starck collaborated
with Ceramica
Sant’Agostino on a
vibrant ceramic tile
collection.

2. Born from Starck’s
more than 20-year
relationship with
Duravit, this minimal
bathtub is part of the
Starck 2 collection.
3. The aptly named Axor
Starck Organic line of
faucets.

sustainability and functionality—the next
project isn’t exactly top of mind for the
designer. “Strangely, I have no special desire
for new creation. I just produce something
when I am not happy with what I see, when
I feel I can propose a new solution, a new
vision, a new philosophy. I am not very
happy that all my weapons are materialistic.
The best weapons are actions.” hd
st arck.com

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