A Well-DesignedLifeFrom hotels to motorcycles to olive oil , there' s nothing

Philippe Starck can' t make look amazing

Tous droits de reproduction réservés

Rhapsody Magazine

PAYS : États-unis PAGE(S) : 49SURFACE : 62 %

1 septembre 2017

a sunny day in May ,Philippe Starck describes

the scene from his window inComporta , Portugal . Wavescrash around a fishermanhauling in his catch for theday . Undulating dunes framethe window' s periphery.

Stuck and hiswife flew in fromMilan this morning .Tomorrow ,they leave for anotherbeachfrontlocale . The itinerant duoowns homes across the world: aplace on the Venetian island ofBurano , acabin on Formenterathat' sahandful of nautical milesfrom another abode in Ibiza ,which is a short flight from ahouse in Cap Ferrat . " We liveeverywhere ," Starck says overthe phone. "

Mainly in the plane ."

This restless hopping aboutsuits the 68-year-old just fine.The world ' s first superstarall-purpose designer-he' screated everything from hotelinteriors and furniture totoothbrushes , motorcycles ,and olive oil for more than40 years-finds focus inmovement, although when the whirstops , he prefers surroundhimself with nature.

trytomaketherightproductwiththerightmaterialattheright

priceforthepeople."

The French native got justthat with his latest hotel project ,the SLSSeattle ,which is housedin 16 floors of a new downtowntower , The Mark , and is set toopen in November . The trunksof the Pacific Northwest' stoweringold-growth trees became"a symbol of the hotel , likea surrealist piece of art ," hesays. Woods in various tones ,patterns , and genuses blanketthe premises , from floors andceilings to tables and stools (thebark motif is carried throughon guest room rugs) .The public

spacesand 189accommodationsexude what would be called , inNorthwest hipster parlance ,a "

grounding vibe ," thanksto butter-soft green leathers ,cowhide prints , andburntorangelampshades that emita campfire-like glow.

The look fits Starck' s designcredo-just don' t call it his "

aesthetic."

"I have not esthetique ,I have philosophy ,"

Starck says inFrench-inflectedEnglish . "I try tomake the rightproduct with theright material atthe right price forthe people . I make

something which surprises ,which upgrades the people whowill use my product .There area lot of people who work withesthetique , but esthetique hasa big relation with trend , andeverything which is trendybecomes out of trend ."

He may not aim for trendy ,but his designs have becomeexactly that . His Louis GhostChair , a riff on a Louis XV seatrecast in translucentpolycarbonate, has sold more thana million pieces since 2002.The Juicy Salif citrus squeezer ,

Above , a room at the SLSSeattle ; below , clockwise

fromloftsthe Lou Speakarmchair for Driade

Juicy Salif citrus

squeezer ; a pair of Starck

Eyes sunglasses

perhaps the onlylemon squeezerthat has been displayed at theMuseum of Modern Art ,resemblesa long-legged aluminumspider . The cone-shaped HotBertaa Kettle' s cartoonishlyelongated spout seems to havebeen cribbed from the snout ofa Looney Tunes wolf.

Starck' s restaurants andhotels , meanwhile , exude

Tous droits de reproduction réservés

Rhapsody Magazine

PAYS : États-unis PAGE(S) : 49SURFACE : 62 %

1 septembre 2017

languid glamour in ameticulouslycurated world of whimsy.Certain themes recurthroughouthis interiors: a pristinewhite-on-white palette begsto be mussed up ; chandeliersand straight-back chairs playto royal tropes ; and organicshapes temper the glitz .Over theyears , Starck has joined forceswith a handful of hotel brands ,Including Morgans Hotel Group(Delano in South Beach , Clift inSan Francisco , and St MartinsLane in London) and MamaShelter ( Bordeaux , Lyons , andMarseille) .But he isperhaps bestknown for his 12-year businesspartnership with Sam Nazarian ,founder and chairman of SBEEntertainment Group , whichhas resulted in a stable of SLSHotels across North America."

It' s a privilege when you canwork with someone you' vegrown up admiring ," Nazariansaysof Starch. " Our relationshipis a combination of friendship ,partnership , and brotherhoodthat has really evolved overyears .When I look for a partner.I look for someone who isvisionaryenough to push boundaries.Philippe Starck is the definitionof a visionary designer

" Inaddition to the Seattle hotel.SIS will debut Starek-designedproperties in the Bahamas andPhiladelphia within the year

5213epternber

Clockwise from topStarch channels

Ernest litemingway at hisoffice: the Beast &

restaurant atSocial ,ngaporel

a room &LS Brickerlin Miami

II"

All of the people

havepowertodayinEurope

wereinmynightclubswhen

Iwas25."

The min of an ronauticalengineer who invented thetwisting lipstick tube , Starckstarted as a nightclub designerin the 1970s . Back then , clubswere dens of intellectual lifehe says, productive placeswhere photographers , artistes ,politique people , philosophers ,

"

would meet to discuss how tobuild a better society . " All thepeople who have power todayin Europe were] in mynightclubswhen I was 25 ," he says. In

, his avant-garde workcaught the eye of FrenchPresident Francois Mitterrand ,who asked Starck to design hispersonal residence at the ElyseePalace. " was called the enfantterrible , the rebel ," Starckrecalls . " it wasincrediblysmart of Mitterrand] tochoose me because I was not the

establishment , I was notbourgeois, and these people found ayoung guy to move the system ,to bring a new idie for people ."

Despite his many fruitfulcollaborations over the years ,Starch likes to work alone .FromJune to September , he forgoesall hobnobbing in order to workundisturbed . His restless energylends itself to a biorhythmicschedule of 45 minutes of sleepalternated with three hoursof work , often done while inbed naked , as he told HarvardBusiness Review in 2013 . "

It' sa monklike life because youare completely disconnectedfrom everything ,

" he says. "

It' sbeautiful to fly everyday in yourimagi nat ion .to seenewconceptsin your brain , to crystallize them.It' s like an addiction to a drug ,which gives you this possibilityto dream and dream and dream ."

He pauses . " We can say I am a

professional dreamer ."

Given his vast repertoireone can' t help hut wonderwhether there' s anythingleft he wants to design . " Weshall sec ," Starck says with alaugh . "

Every moment thereis a new idee; every momentthere is a new need to find anew solution . That' s why thefuture is always the best , andtomorrow is a new territoryof' adventure .

Tous droits de reproduction réservés

Rhapsody Magazine

PAYS : États-unis PAGE(S) : 49SURFACE : 62 %

1 septembre 2017