Philippe Starck was born on the 18th of January, 1949 in Paris, France. At a young age, Starck showed great interest in designing and so with inspiration from his father, who was an aeronautical engineer, Starck became a designer.
In 1965, Starck studied at Eole Nissim de Camondo School before opening his first business in 1968 which specialised in inflatable objects. The following year, Starck became the art director of the company Pierre Cardin.
In 1974, Starck moved to the United States for two years, before moving back to Paris in 1976. It was also during that year that Starck designed the first Paris nightclub, “La main bleu”.
Starck then founded the business, “Starck Productions”, in 1979, where he designed numerous products including Dr. Bloodmoney, Francesca Spanish and Joe Miller.
During 1989, Starck was responsible for designing the Ashabi Brewery-commissioned-“La Flamme Building” in Tokyo, Japan. Moreover, he designed the commercial premises for the French cutlery company, “Laguiole”.
Throughout his career, Starck designed a myriad of other major works ranging from the La Cigale concert space to the interior of the boutique, Hugo Boss, Salone Coppola, Peninsular Hotel and Hotel Hudson in New York.
Currently, Starck is working in Paris. His works, now, not only involve interior designing but also industrial designing. Some of his more famous product ranges have included a wide range of objects in the O.W.O. series, ships for Beneteau, kitchen furniture for Alessi, water bottles and luggage for Samsonite.
Starck's myriad of prizes and awards is a testament of the uniqueness and appeal of his works. The “Oscar de luminaire”, chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettre, “Interior Architecture Award” and the “if Product Design Award; Distinction; Red Dot for High Design” have all recognised his talent in both interior and industrial design.
In particular, the WW Stool is quintessential of Starck's prowess and flair in architectural design. The WW Stool is an elegant, somewhat sophisticated, streamlined horn tipped stool, originally designed for film director, Wim Wenders, as a set piece in a fantasy office environment in “Vitra” (1992).
According to Design Matcher (n.d.), the WW Stool is famed for its “erotic form and bizarre disingenuous public pronouncements”. The distinctiveness and rather peculiar design of the stool, captures Starck's saucy creations and irrelevant twist.
Intended as a bar stool, the name of the WW Stool says it all; it provides support for a person leaning against it or allows one to sit and rest. The thin tripod leg of the stool gives the appearance of an insect-like creature that provides stability to the stool. The curvature of the slender legs and the narrowing tip enhances the insect-
like design of the stool, which further interests and draws one's attention. The protrusion on the leg as well as the horn tip - much like a sting on an insect - is designed to provide comfort and extra stability for the user.
Additionally, the smooth contours envelopes a warm and graceful touch to this stool, rendering it aesthetically appealing to the eye. Starck has also ingeniously chosen white shades as the primary and sole colour of the WW stool to evoke a sense of simplicity yet simultaneously, a classy and sophisticated feel, that ultimately "tickles" the senses of the user.
