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PhilippeStarck

Philippe Starck's Hotel Furniture Up For Auction

Filed under: Decor


Some of the items up for auction at Wright Auction House in Chicago on October 6 might make potential buyers of a certain age nostalgic for their New York City youth. When the pieces were designed by Philippe Starck for Ian Schrager for the Paramount and Royalton boutique hotels in Midtown Manhattan were first unveiled over a decade ago they were like nothing that the hotel industry had ever seen before. Now Starck's avant-garde design prototypes can seem almost tame. Almost. They still have a whimsical appeal that holds up. Could Starck be a classic? The bar stools shown above were originally designed for the Royalton Hotel and are estimated to sell for $2,000–3,000. The NY Times talked with Richard Wright, the auction house owner, who said that Starck hasn't come a collector's favorite because he's so ubiquitous but this is the chance to buy the originals that spawned a furniture army or at least a few glamorous hotel nights.

Lagerfeld, Starck Design Covers for Wallpaper* Magazine

Filed under: Celebrity Design

Lagerfeld, Starck Design Covers for <I>Wallpaper*</I> Magazine
Chanel top man Karl Lagerfeld and designer Philippe Starck will guest-edit the October 2009 issue of interiors title Wallpaper*, according the Guardian.

Lagerfeld has designed a "peelable" cover for the monthly title, which features model Baptiste Giabiconi. Readers can peel back this image to reveal another cover, which shows Giabiconi nude.

Starck, best known for designing high-end hotels, has constructed a transparent front cover using three layers of tracing paper (see it on the Wallpaper* home page).

Lagerfeld and Starck have each edited large sections of the issue, out now. Lagerfeld, also a sought-after photographer, has shot Giabiconi in a variety of historical settings across continental Europe, including Rome and Paris. He also writes about his collection of houses.

Starck is more philosophical, focusing on "mankind's quest to discover the meaning of life and interviewing scientists, physicists and cosmologists," the Guardian said. "It is my mission to make intelligence sexy," Starck said.

Philippe Starck Plans Fashion Line

Filed under: Apparel

philippe starckYou've eaten in his restaurants and sat on his chairs, now you can drape yourself in Philippe Starck. The prolific French designer is working with cashmere brand Ballantyne to create a collection for men and woman. The new project and brand, Starck With Ballantyne will feature a combination of multi function garments, with new ergonomics and contemporary fittings. The modern take on cashmere will be done in 30 pieces for men and women in both cashmere and modern and technical fabrics. I haven''t been able to find any pictures but Glam describes a collection that includes fluorescent silk linings for lighter garments, hoods on knitwear and outerwear and teddy bear detachable waistcoats. The line will be on sale this fall in Ballantyne flagship stores and selected multi-brand stores. This isn't Starck's first foray into fashion, he has also created a line of bodywear (Starck Naked) with Puma.

The Parrot By Starck Wireless Speakers

Filed under: Gadgets


If you adore your iPod or iPhone and think it belongs on a pedestal, these new wireless speakers might be just perfect for you. 'Zikmu,' the Parrot wireless speakers by Philippe Starck have a dedicated iPod / iPhone docking station and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies. The two speakers communicate with each other using Bluetooth technology in order to position both speakers wherever in the room. Using the docking station built into one of the columns, users can enjoy their favorite music while recharging their iPod or iPhone and the speakers and the device can be controlled from anywhere in the room using a remote control. The Parrot by Starck speakers promise a 360° immersive sound experience. The Parrot by Starck wireless speakers will be available for Spring 2009 at a suggested retail price of $1,500.

[via Gizmodo]

Philippe Starck's Wind Turbine For Home Use

Filed under: Green


Philippe Starck has been pretty busy designing stuff lately, considering just a few months ago he was proclaiming that "design is dead" and announcing his retirement. I guess the most creative minds have the most persuasive demons, and it seems Starck is trying to learn from his: after proclaiming that "everything he had ever designed was useless" he's now on to designing something truly useful and trendy: a mini-turbine designed for people to use at home to generate their own wind power.

The mini-turbine is made of clear polycarbonate (the lack of color is apparently a statement about there being so much materiality in the world) and is capable of providing 20-60% of the power needs for the average home. It will be available this coming September with a price tag around $600.

Philippe Starck Designs A Presidency


Philippe Starck has designed yachts, hotels and countless household items but his latest challenge might just be his greatest. Starck is helping to design the accouterments of France's turn at the European presidency. France is famous for style and wants to carry that into this new regime and so the foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner hired Starck as an artistic director: Philippe Starck. As Starck, who is not known for his modesty, explains it to the AFP, there are a lot of things that are given to journalists, ministers, delegates and now "for the first time in the history of the EU, everything produced will be of high quality."

Items produced so far include pens, notebooks and a goodie bag sent to all French MPs that included stationery and a pale gray tie. Some of the women MPs, who all received the ties weren't too thrilled with the gift. Starck has also designed a special two euro coin.

Philippe Starck's RobinWood Collection

Filed under: Decor


Philippe Starck has gone a little silly with his new collection, although (no worries) he hasn't completely abandoned his usual sense of style in the process. Launched in collaboration with David Sutherland the collection is called RobinWood and is inspired by (you guessed it) the legend of Robin Hood.

With names like "The Lil' John" chair, "The Loxley" canopy bed, and "The King Richard" dining table, Starck is making good on his statement "humor is a sign of intelligence. It should be everywhere." The pieces represent Starck's first outdoor line of furniture and range in price from $1650 to $2350.

Philippe Starck: Ashamed, Retiring, and Saying Design is Dead?

Filed under: Decor


Sometimes even dream jobs get old, and it seems Philippe Starck is tired of being a famous designer, feels that design is dead anyway, and plans to retire within the next two years. He also feels that the designers of the future will be "the personal coach, the gym trainer, and the diet consultant," and that everything he designed in his career was "unnecessary" and he's ashamed to have been part of it.

Wow.

Sounds like he's having a bit of a midlife crisis or something! It will be interesting to see what he ends up doing in the future -- with a creative mind like his it could be something really interesting.

Philippe Starck Prive for Cassina

Filed under: Decor


At the spring Milan furniture fair, Philippe Starck once again brought the sexy with his Prive collection for Cassina. The pieces are made of black or white tufted leather. The leather lounge chair is particularly alluring. It is a big sprawling expanse with armrests, chair backs that seem to invite a variety of different lounging positions. The lounge also has leather strips along the base and leather hand-straps on the back cushions. There are also two different type of types of padded chairs available. It's not revolutionary but it does look like a perfect match for some of Starck's modern apartment and hotel designs.

[via Square Magazine]

Icon Vallerta Mexico

Filed under: Estates


The latest Yoo project from the wacky and brilliant imagination of Philippe Starck is the Icon Vallarta Mexico in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The condominum complex will consist of three 26-story towers for a total of 343 luxury beachfront residences. The residences will be built and designed by Jorge Perez and Yoo by Philippe Starck. The condo units will include one-, two- and three-bedroom oceanfront residences some with private elevators and seven poolside villas. The condos will have access to a large infinity pool, security and valet services, Starck-designed lobby and common areas, an outdoor fire pit, 1000 feet of beachfront, a fitness center and concierge services. Prices will range from the low $200,000s up to $1 million and construction is set to begin this month with completion planned for the end of 2009.

The Lux Collection, Fancy Plastic

Filed under: Decor

Leave it to Philippe Starck to turn something as simple as plastic dinnerware into a chance for design. His Lux Collection brings the fancy to your more casual summer gatherings (or those large parties where things need to be kept light and easy to clean). The collection includes gold or silver plastic cutlery as well as plates that have a little projection that you can mount a Lux Collection glass, cup, bowl. Perfect for garden parties where you are often left standing with a glass in one hand, a plate in the other and no way to partake of either.  The nine-inch plates come in gold, silver, bronze and terracotta and sell for $20 for a package of six.

Starck Joins New Hotel Brand

Filed under: Journeys

New hotel chains are popping up as fast as condo projects lately. Philippe Starck, the ubiquitous designer who is no stranger to hotel design, has been selected by SBE Hotel Group to create the look for a new unnamed hotel brand. SBE is owned by Los Angeles club god Sam Nazarian and the first property will be on the site of the Le Meridien in Beverly Hills which is set to open in 2008.

SBE managed to tied Starck down to a 15-year exclusive deal (so much for his claim in an interview last year that he'd be retiring in three years).  The new boutique brand will be hitting all the hot spots including New York, Miami and the Caribbean but instead of creating new hotels, these will all be conversions.  Starck will also remodel the Ritz Plaza in Miami but it will not be part of the new brand. He will also design restaurants and lounges including a new Brentwood restaurant set to launch in May.

SBE seems to have learned from the drama involving the Roosevelt hotel and Amanda Scheer Demme, who blocked hotel guests from her exclusive clubs. In an article in Travel Weekly, Michael Doneff, SBE Entertainment Group’s vice president of marketing promises that  "if you stay at our hotels, you will have preferred access to our nightclubs.”  It's a smart move to make the guests feel like they pare part of an exclusive group rather than feeling alienated in their own hotel.

Starck Alessi Salif Citrus Juicer

Filed under: Gadgets

The innovative designer Philippe Starck has designed this truly unique citrus juicer. It looks vaguely insect-like, as though it might simply walk off the counter if left unattended, but it is simple and elegant at the same time. The juicer does not seem to have gotten the most positive feedback at Amazon.com, where users found the design a bit difficult to work with. Using a long, tall pitcher to catch the fresh juice as it drips down the cast-aluminum, pointed juicer should help things along considerably. Price: $79.


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