Dreamers are often loners

Subversive, ethical, ecological, political, and humorous – this is how Philippe Starck defines his role as a designer and architect. His vision? To make people’s lives a little better and more meaningful with every idea.

French architect and designer Philippe Starck has already created iconic pieces for renowned brands such as Kartell, Cassina and Driade. In an exclusive interview with moments, the visionary offers insights into his creative everyday life and reveals what makes his design philosophy so special.

Philippe Starck, do you keep a sketchpad by your bed to capture spontaneous ideas at night?

Always, but not only there. Wherever I go, I carry the same type of sketchpad along with my favorite pencil. I’m bursting with ideas, but unfortunately my memory isn’t very reliable. Quite often, an idea comes to me and vanishes just minutes later. I’ve probably lost many good ideas that way. And I don’t own a computer or a mobile phone.

And if you want to make a phone call?

I never make phone calls. My wonderful wife handles that for me.

To what extent are daily rituals important for you to be able to work well?

For me, rituals are essential to life. As I am what’s now called neurodivergent, which places me on the autism spectrum, people like me need structured routines. Even waking up must happen in a place filled with light, ideally with a beautiful view. I ease into the day slowly: my morning routine takes about an hour and a half and includes, among other things, a hot shower followed by an ice-cold one. This temperature shock is vital for me to get my brain going. The improved circulation speeds up my thinking and creative processes. In my studio, I put my ideas on paper, always alone and always accompanied by the same music. I work with great focus: three hours in the morning, and another three in the afternoon. And of course, a glass of champagne at the end of my workday is just as much part of my ritual.

How do you define the following terms in relation to yourself: intuition, patience, and solitude?

When it comes to intuition and vision, my judgments have been consistently confirmed throughout my more than forty years of professional experience. Patience, however, is certainly not one of my greatest strengths. I am generally an impatient person, but I can be extremely persistent and determined. When I believe something is right, I don’t let go. I stay focused until I reach my goal, whether it takes one year, ten, or even forty. Solitude, on the other hand, is an inherent part of my inner structure, almost part of my DNA. This is undoubtedly not always easy for my wife or for those around me. I am a dreamer, and dreamers are often loners. In a way, my wife lives with a phantom. Despite these peculiarities, I am a very honest person, with a strong capacity for love, a humanist, and entirely free of greed.

What makes design good or bad? Can such distinctions even be made?

For me, bad design is design that creates no real value and exists solely to generate profit. It’s a dishonest transaction: I attract people’s attention, take their money, and give them nothing in return. I also consider narcissistic design to be bad, when I create to showcase myself, to display my supposed genius or superiority. This only leads to feelings of inferiority in others, which is a thought that actually makes me feel ashamed. Another problem for me is the «stupid product»: design that comes into being simply because something happens to be fashionable at the moment. For example, if I use trendy colors like red, blue, or green without asking myself whether it makes physiological sense, whether it’s truly needed, or whether it’s simply a response to a passing trend. Good design, on the other hand, follows no fashion. It is timeless and creates real, long-term value.

So good design endures for generations?

Absolutely. Trend products often end up in the trash after a short time, which leads to an ecological disaster. Good design follows a different path. It arises from a certain naivety, driven by the vision to recognize and understand the future and the true needs of society. In practice, this means creating products that genuinely improve people’s lives. It requires the highest care in production, the most efficient use of energy and materials, and the use of sustainable resources. And finally, these products must be affordable to produce. When all of these criteria are met, we can speak of honest design.

Your range of designs resembles a universe full of surprises: household objects, boats, watches, museums, interior design, and much more. All your creations are characterized by minimalism, certain shapes may reappear at times, but one searches in vain for a distinct Philippe Starck style. Is this a deliberate choice to avoid limiting your creativity and to allow yourself the freedom to break certain rules?

An excellent question, but I wouldn’t speak of style. That would mean locking myself into a fixed framework – and besides, a style is easily copied. What drives me is logic, a personal logic that probably also has something to do with my madness. From this, original objects emerge that feel entirely natural to me but may appear unusual to others. My thinking is based on fixed parameters: absolute freedom, incorruptibility, the widest possible vision, and deep humanity. All of it embedded in humor and love. Because humor puts everything into perspective, both the heaviest and the lightest aspects of life.

There are musicians who sit down and write a hit in just a few minutes. Do you also experience moments where the design process happens in a flash?

In fact, about 90 percent of my designs come to me within two seconds. Since I don’t see myself as an artist, I place great importance on drawing each idea precisely, whether it’s a yacht, a space station, a toothbrush, or a chair. Translating the idea into drawings usually takes me between three minutes and two and a half hours, depending on the complexity of the product. After that, I let go of the idea, either because I forget it or because it starts to bore me. And when I get bored, everything is over.

You have collaborated with Kartell several times. How did the latest collection come about?

I have been working with Kartell for over twenty years because it is the only high-tech design company that uses environmentally friendly high-tech materials, allowing for highly innovative products of excellent quality at fair prices. When a new collection is in the works, I have complete creative freedom, without any guidelines or specific directions. I design what feels right to me. Kartell then decides what will become of it. So far, I’ve always managed to surprise them.

You are now also working with artificial intelligence. How did that come about?

The A.I. Chair for Kartell was a milestone, and the first product created with the help of artificial intelligence, at a time when very few people even knew what AI was. About ten years ago, I traveled to California to learn how to communicate with an AI. What used to take two and a half years now happens in a fraction of a second. A chair created in an instant. The A.I. Chair is the prototype of a new generation of products, one that anticipates the future. Unlike me, AI possesses an almost infinite intelligence. It thinks in a radically different way: it automatically seeks maximum reduction of material and energy and favors ecological solutions.

If you could spend an evening with people you admire, who would be on your list?

A conversation with Albert Einstein would be fascinating. I would also find an exchange with Claudius Ptolemy, the great Greek mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher, incredibly interesting. And to add an inspiring musical note, I would invite an exceptional composer like Brian Eno.

Thank you very much for the conversation.

Don’t miss a thing — we’ll keep you up to date!

Sign up for our newsletter.