Philippe Starck Projects: Best Of
The French designer Philippe Starck, has dabbled in over 10,000 projects throughout his very successful career. His designs have included multiple areas of expertise, such as interior design, household objects, boats and watches. He also worked as an architect.
Even though he has worked on a wide range of projects, today we will look into some of his best outdoor designs.
Lily of the Valley, La Croix Valmer
In this project at La Croix Valmer, Starck was asked to imagine a paradise on earth. With this in mind, he envisioned a place of well-being where one can enjoy the harmony between man and nature in a calm and soothing way.
Lily of the Valley was designed as an open space where the light colors and vegetation mix the interior and exterior space.
This outdoor pool area connects all the houses of the villa and is a place where guests can enjoy the outdoors throughout the year, the warm and soothing atmosphere, be inspired to create and fall in love.
It was clearly inspired by natural tones and woods, and the mix of large comfortable sunbeds with the large umbrellas is a great choice for a time of relaxation. Starck chose a very simple and neutral color palette for most of the project, including some touches of green, certainly to further mix the natural surroundings into his design.
Brach, Paris
When Starck envisioned the space for the Brach Hotel in the heart of one of the most prestigious areas of Paris, he claimed this was not merely a hotel, but a place of “unique life and culture”.
Philippe Starck had full creative control of this 7,000m2 space, and he decided to mix minimal and eclectic styles, architecture of the 1930s, modernism, Bauhaus, Dada, Surrealism and Art Brut. He was inspired by many cultures all over the world such as Africa, Asia and South America. He wanted to create an unusual place that invites guests to a unique exploration.
This rooftop garden space really caught our eyes with the mix of natural materials and interesting patterns and subtle color combinations such as the green, orange and copper tones. This clever use of materials creates an optimal space for comfort and relaxation but still allows the mind to explore this interesting space and the intricacies of the carefully crafted design. Always so subtly so that no one is overwhelmed and can still enjoy the beauty of the skyline of the capital of France.
La Reserve Eden au Lac, Zurich
Philippe Starck completely redesigned this 5 star hotel in Zurich with one thing in mind: providing an elegant and timeless experience within this space that he called “an imaginary, modern yacht club by the lake”.
To create this space, Starck wanted to reflect the raw poetry of the place and release light to capture the amazing architecture of the hotel. This brilliant use of space in the outdoor dining area by the lake, reflects the simple understated luxury of the place.
The different shapes of the marble tables conjugated with the different kinds of chair – the wooden and orange fabric ones, some cushioned with stripe patterns and others simple metallic structures – reflect the eclectic but luxurious, minimal but not minimalistic style that Starck beautifully achieved at La Réserve Eden au Lac.
As Phillip himself simply described: “La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich is like rock and roll dancing with the Queen of England; everything is classic, yet nothing is classic anymore. It is a timeless blend of creativity, classicism and intelligence – like Switzerland itself.”
La Réserve à la Plage, Saint-Tropez
The most iconic beach at Saint-Tropez has also had the delight of having a space designed by Philippe Starck. La Réserve à la Plage wants to echo its surroundings, and replicate the elegance, sophistication and simplicity of life at the beach while still providing visitors with the charms of life and the best of what humans can provide.
Similarly to the previous project, Starck utilizes chairs with different materials and shapes to keep the space as interesting as it is charming and unique. Every detail is carefully thought-out. He uses elements of bohemian chic and the materials replicate the nature surrounding it, making this space personal and timeless.
For Starck, Saint-Tropez is synonymous with “Dreams, desires, memories of happy days, of sleeping in the shade, watching the boats pass by and laughing with friends.”
In a way, Philippe Starck is a visionary who invented his own style of outdoor design, a future classic, one might say. He likes to play around with shapes, materials and colors to create a space that is visually appealing while still being comfortable and relaxing.
He created a minimal yet eclectic understated luxury which one ought to enjoy in any case throughout the year.
