A fibber, a liar and a professional dreamer -This is roughly how the most famous modern designer Philippe Starck describes himself, and he really needs no introduction. But if you’re suddenly not familiar with his work, we’ll show you 15 of our favorite projects. We can talk endlessly about Philippe Starck’s philosophy, life position, style, and views on design. He is an amazingly versatile, creative, wise, and slightly eccentric person. He is also a professional, a genius of his time. Furniture, plumbing, and other interior items by Philippe Starck are popular all over the world, but his architectural projects deserve no less attention. In this article, we’ve collected 15 of the most outstanding. YOO Hotel in Istanbul Yoo is a truly stellar studio, founded in 1999 by Philippe Starck and John Hitchcox and collaborating with many famous designers. The studio’s portfolio includes many bold and diverse projects, including its own chain of hotels. For the Istanbul residence, Stark chose a simple concept: to create four unique styles (classic, art, nature and minimalism), from which everyone can choose the one that suits them.
Maison Baccarat Complex in Moscow CrystalThe Baccarat House was founded over 250 years ago by decree of Louis XV and since then has been a symbol of French style and virtually synonymous with the word “crystal”. In the early 2000s, the brand began collaborating with Philippe Starck, and in 2008, their joint project, Maison Baccarat, opened in an old mansion building on Nikolskaya Street in Moscow. The first floor houses a boutique and showroom, and the second floor houses a restaurant designed personally by Monsieur Starck. This is both a variation on the theme of ancient Roman baths with busts of emperors and terracotta columns, and the famous Starck chaos, which combines furniture from different eras and extravagant decor. And, of course, the main character of the restaurant is a stunning crystal chandelier created personally by the designer.
Hotel Le Meurice in Paris For the first time Le Meuriceopened its doors in 1835, thanks to the light hand of Napoleon III's wife, who believed that Paris still did not have a hotel that could properly host foreign royalty. Since then, the hotel has seen many famous guests, including Salvador Dali himself, who periodically lived at Le Meurice from the 50s to the 80s. Philippe Starck began restoring the hotel in 2008 together with his daughter Ara. The work concerned mainly the decor: the interior now includes stools with drawings based on Dali's works, a three-legged chair with legs in women's shoes, and fragments of famous paintings, including on the ceiling.
Yoo Residential Complex in Panama Residential ComplexYoo Panama is 56 floors of unique designer apartments, five-star hotel service and a completely new approach to quality of life. The apartments are now the same brand as luxury fashion brands. Previously, you bought a bag from Gucci, now - apartments from Philippe Starck. And their interiors once again prove that we are dealing not just with a designer, but a real brand: Starck's style is recognizable in every detail, from the shapes of the furniture to the designer chandeliers and eccentric decor.
Alhondiga Cultural Centre in BilbaoAlhóndiga Bilbao, a large cultural and entertainment center in Bilbao (Basque Country, Northern Spain), is located on seven floors in the building of a former wine warehouse. Philippe Starck left only the external brick facades of the old building, placing three cubic sections inside the perimeter, each of which has its own role. Thus, the first contains gyms and swimming pools, the second - a media library, and the third - an exhibition hall, an auditorium and two cinemas. The sections are connected by an atrium, which contains a café, two restaurants and a solarium. At the level of the first floor, the building seems to hover above the ground - it is supported by 43 unique columns, different in relief, plots and color.
Hotel Palazzina Grassi in Venice This hotel inin an ancient building of the 16th century - Starck's first work in Italy. The designer worked on the project together with the owner of the hotel Emanuele Garoschi, who was responsible for the philosophical concept. The interior of the hotel is a whole sea of glass objects, sculptures and vintage decor. The main goal of the interiors of the rooms is to immerse the guest in the atmosphere of Venice, allow them to feel all the poetry and romanticism of the city and give a feeling of privacy of a closed club.
Restaurant Le Paradis du Fruit in ParisThe restaurant’s name, “Fruit Paradise,” fully justifies its contents. Le Paradis du Fruit is primarily about fruits, but also about people and the signature Starck design, which appeared in the restaurant in 2012, when Philippe Starck was invited to renovate the establishment. An abundance of wood, playful decor, traditional mirrors and steel — this is what Le Paradis du Fruit is today.
Hotel Faena in Buenos Aires In 2002,On the site of an ancient and almost completely destroyed tower, the hotel complex Faena Hotel + Universe appeared. Built practically on ruins, thanks to the talent of Philippe Starck, it turned into one of the most luxurious and beautiful hotels in the world. Guests can check into one of 108 rooms, decorated by the designer in different styles: you can find classics with velvet and, and modern design, and a mixture of modernism and decadence. A special “attraction” of the complex is two restaurants: red with luxurious drapery and crystal chandeliers and white with a marble floor, unicorn heads and a huge panel on the wall.
Cafe Stern in Paris Cafe Stern is located inthe oldest passage in Paris, the Passage des Panoramas, between Rue Saint-Marc and Boulevard Montmartre. Initially, there was an engraving workshop here, but over the years, the profitable business gave way to machine printing, and soon the bureau closed. The establishment was revived only in 2014 - this time as a cafe, designed by Philippe Starck. The design turned out to be very French: luxurious, but at the same time intimate and cozy. There were also extravagant details, such as stuffed animals in the window and antlers inside, large mirrors in luxurious frames and steel bar stools against the background of antique wooden furniture.
Spa My Blend by Clarins in Paris AboutPhilippe Starck says the following about his design for a spa in Paris: “The spa is a completely feminine universe, and I wanted to explore the architectural possibilities of the female subconscious. I wanted to create a space similar to women’s thoughts: not divided by vertical and horizontal lines, without heaviness, monolithicity and male aggression. I wanted to create an ephemeral, slightly fantasy world, full of white, where reflections are more essential than real objects.”
S Bar in Los Angeles S Bar -a Hollywood-chic establishment that, thanks to Stark's work, looks more mysterious than pompous. Inverted table lamps that have become chandeliers, candlesticks that look like they came from a medieval castle, huge panels that imitate an art gallery - all this creates a sense of surrealism and a dark fairy tale in the setting of a modern Versailles.
Fitness club Le Nuage in Montpellier Another oneFrench project by Philippe Starck - this time in the city of Montpellier. The building of this fitness center is called "the first inflatable building in France": it owes this definition to the facades made of ethylenetetrafluoroethylene "bubbles" inflated with air. The interior of the club is rather restrained for Starck, but here too there are bright colors and famous designer furniture. The inspiration for the project was the ancient Greek gymnasiums in which young athletes trained.
LOFT residential complex in Niseko In 2014,The Yoo studio has a Japanese project in its collection — an elite residential complex LOFT at a ski resort. The modern two-story building houses four spacious luxury lofts with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. For their interiors, Philippe Starck chose rather muted neutral colors and natural materials (including wood), which are designed to harmonize with the stunning mountain landscape and be, in a sense, its continuation.
EastWest Studios Recording Studio inHollywood EastWest Recording Studio was founded in 1961 and has worked with such stars as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Madonna and The Rolling Stones. In 2009, the studio's management launched a large-scale multi-million dollar renovation project and hired none other than Philippe Starck for this purpose. In the interior, he combined classic elements (crystal chandeliers, elegant sofas, red velvet curtains) and futuristic neon lighting, and added a chic recreation area with its own entrance, fireplace, lounge area, pool table and separate rooms with showers to the technical rooms.
Le Royal Eclaireur boutique in Paris Le BoutiqueRoyal Eclaireur is part of the Le Royal Monceau hotel, one of the most fashionable and luxurious in Paris. According to Philippe Starck himself, the project has nothing to do with design or architecture: it is a study of the authentic French spirit, what it is and what it can and should be. When creating the boutique's interior, the designer thought about the most striking qualities, shortcomings and virtues, poetry and romanticism of the French, which were ultimately embodied in every centimeter of space.
The coolest projects made by Philippe Starck – etk-fashion.com
