philippe starck interview

philippe starck© designboom

designboom interviewed philippe starck on may 23, 2005.

what is the best moment of the day?

when you make love to the person that you love.

what kind of music do you listen to at the moment?

everything is good.

shoe for puma, 2005

do you listen to the radio?

bollywood radio.

what books do you have on your bedside table?

so many… I read 12 books at a time…’europeana’ by patrik ourednik (a brief history of the twentieth century) it is very important to read.

‘collection guns’ for flos, 2005

where do you get news from?

I live like a monk, so there is no news. I read only the scientific magazines.

do you have any preferences on how women dress?

ehh… yes. I like the dress that is like a double skin.

optical mouse for microsoft, 2004

what kind of clothes do you avoid wearing?

cannot say.

do you have any pets?

no.

when you were a child, what did you want to be?

nothing.

‘louis ghost’ for kartell, 2004originally designed for the ‘kong’ restaurant in paris

‘hudson rocker’ for emeco, 2000

where do you work on your projects?

anywhere in front of the sea.

who would you like to design something for?

nobody. there are already thousands of really, really good chairs. there are thousands of good lamps. there are thousands of everything.

‘gnomi’ seats for kartell, 1999

do you discuss your work with other designers?

never. I am not interested in designers.

describe your ‘style’, like a good friend of yours would describe it.

freedom.

‘ceci n’est pas une brouette’, for XO, 1996

which of your works has given you the most satisfaction?

the next.

among the most recent work is ‘collection guns’ lamps for flos.

the guns collection is nothing but a sign of the times. we get the symbols we deserve. P.S.: light, functional, affordable and elegant, with over 100 million copies officially produced to date, the kalachnikov is one of theindustrial design success-stories of our age. mr kalachnikov has never received any royalties for this design. he often complains about it. thus, I intend to pay him a commission for the sales of the model that replicates his invention. poor guy. the remainder will be donated to ‘medicins sans frontieres’, …

‘zeo’ TV for thomson ,1994designed together with the thim thom team

‘W.W.’ stool, 1990originally phillippe starck designed this stool for an imaginative office environment for film director wim wenders.vitra produces it since 1994.

can you describe an evolution in your work from your

first projects to the present day?

more honest.

‘j. (lang)’, driade, 1987

do you design for the masses?

I have been trying for 20 years now.how I make life better for my tribe.

you once said that it is your dream to make the world

a better place…

is it beauty you are looking for?

no, not for beauty. we have to replace beauty, which is a cultural concept, with goodness, which is a humanist concept.the beauty of intelligence?yes. of intelligence.the elegance of intelligence and the beauty of happiness.

‘von vogelsang’ for driade, 1985

you design shoes, eyeglasses, …

is your approach to fashion design different to

that of industrial design?

I have no reason with fashion but am interested to make clothes for my friends.

‘costes’, produced by driade since 1984

and you have designed hotels, clubs and restaurants…

again, a different approach?

it is the same thing. just the scale is different.

is there any architect or designer from past you appreciate a lot?

I am not interested in architects or designers. I no longer wish to talk about design.

 ‘miss dorn’

‘miss wirt’ prototypes/ limited editions V.I.A., 1982

any advice for the young?

advice?make a job useful.

young starck on a prototype for pierre cardin, 1971

what are you afraid of regarding the future?

the loss of civilisation.