“I am against the idea of a prefab life,” says Philippe Starck, sipping water inside the Victory Park Discovery Center in Uptown. “You should not have to live in the brain of someone else, or their dream. It should be about what you want.”
We recently caught up with the brash and celebrated French designer while he was in town promoting his new luxury condo: The House by Starck and Yoo, which breaks ground this summer at Victory Park near downtown. Mr. Starck helped unveil the project’s newly expanded sales and information center on Cedar Springs. Prospective residents can now experience an immersive environment inside, complete with 3-D models and interior finish displays. While the look of the project is decidedly Starck, residents still have plenty of choices to make homes in this high-rise their own, including finish-out packages grouped loosely by materials under the names Classic, Culture and Nature. “We want to put you at the table with the best playing cards,” says Mr. Starck. “The House is about the elegance of happiness and peacefulness. It is not about the look of money.” And as one of the world’s most commercially successful designers, Philippe Starck knows a thing or two about the look of money. The prolific designer has created iconic works ranging from a simple juicer for the kitchen to his famed Ghost chair: a polycarbonate interpretation of a Louis XV chair. Mr. Starck continues to expand his design influence from the most mundane of objects, such as a toothbrush, to fanciful, witty interiors for hotels and residential towers around the world, including The House in Dallas. He has even designed organic rice for his own food line. “I am just a dreamer,” he says, “and I try to apply and crystallize that dream. My work is play to me.” Get more information on The House by Starck and Yoo at www.thehouse.com. PHILIPPE STARCK ON … STARCK: “I am not the best designer in the world, but I am the first designer in the last 20 years to give the best design to the maximum number of people.” THE DESIGN PROCESS: “Whether it is a $2 baby bottle for a mom in the suburbs or a $2 million private yacht, for me it is the same work. It is ultimately about the human being. I respect them; I love them.” HIS BEST-SELLING DESIGN: The Ghost chair “has a mix of materials and styles based on our shared memories. We all own this piece in a way. The chair is well balanced; I try to be balanced myself.” STARCK CLUB, DALLAS 1984: “It was the first dance floor in the world built on top of a speaker. I had a contract to be there every Saturday night and would often fly in from Paris to make my appearance.” WHAT STARCK CLUB WOULD BE LIKE TODAY: “A church without religion, producing energy and creating intelligence. It would bring people together and create a tribe.” DALLAS, THEN AND NOW: “Before, it was wild; today, it is sophisticated.” TYPICAL DAY: “I never go to an office; I never have business lunches. I only dream.” WHAT’S HOT NOW: “The new style is freedom.” GREATEST WORK: “My best design is always my next design.” STARCK SALE Bring Starck home – for less. HaRoo & HaRoo in the Dallas Design Center offers its Philippe Starck pieces at 25 to 65 percent off for the first time today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. HaRoo & HaRoo, 1250 Slocum St., Suite 749, 214-747-1700News Article | 3/24/2006