The Starck Truth

By Cheryl Katz

This was the first piece of “real” furniture my husband Jeffrey and I bought. The year was 1987 and the Italian furniture company Driade had just introduced the M table, by Philippe Starck — product designer, architect, inventor, and all around design rock star.

All photos courtesy of Philippe Starck

The acquisition had been spurned on by two major factors: the purchase of a small house on Beacon Hill and the birth of our daughter Fanny.

Combined, these two events were reason enough to act like grown ups. And what could be more grown up than investing in a dining room table?

At the time the table didn’t really seem to fit with the rest of our décor, it’s shiny wood surface and polished metal legs at odds with our decade old college furniture, flea market finds, and trash picks.

But almost three decades later the table remains in our dining room looking better than ever. The prolific Philippe Starck had created, like the pieces below, another classic.

The citrus squeezer, Juicy Salif for Alessi, 1990

The Mr. Impossible chair for Kartell, 2007

The just released bathroom faucet, Axor Stark V for Hansgrohe

These are just the tip of the iceberg. For a chronology of Starck’s work go to his website.