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The three superyachts that Philippe Starck designed

If there's one thing that is assured about Philippe Strack, it's that you never know what to expect from the maverick designer, whose felicity at invention is as diverse as his portfolio. The aesthetic with which he crafts a chair is similar only in the fact that it's so different from what informs his interiors. So you wouldn't be hard-pressed to imagine how unexpected and different his designs for yachts would be.

Here, we look at three iconic Philippe Starck designs that created floating architectural marvels, including a yacht for fellow iconoclast, Steve Jobs.

VENUS This 80-metre-long ship boasts an aluminium exterior that makes it look uncannily like a floating Apple notebook. Built over a period of six years, Venus has sleek contours, not unlike Apple products, but that in no way downplays the very obvious luxury of the superyacht. Fitted with large floor-to-ceiling windows, the main living area receives ample natural light. The highlight, though, has to be the seven 27-inch iMac computers in the wheelhouse.

WEDGE TOO Looking unlike anything that Starck has designed before, the stunning 65-metre-long Wedge Too is all rounded edges and warm wooden interiors, which display an eclectic mix of periods and styles. The spaces inside include a large, yet inviting, lounge and master bedroom, which offer spectuacular views of the endless ocean. It is the sundeck which contains the best part—a Jacuzzi surrounded by a solarium.

A It cuts the water with sharp-featured grace, its slim structure an eye-catching addition to the high seas, stretching through the ocean across 119 metres. And it goes by the name of A. This superyacht designed by the French icon has thoroughly modern interiors and maximizes avaliable space. The interiors feature wood furnishing that are neatly juxtaposed by a glass roof. The perfect spot from where to view one of the swimming pools located above.

Philippe Starck on the future of superyacht design, Elon Musk, and ‘saving the sea’

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Few designers have done more to re-shape the identity of the modern superyacht than the Frenchman Philippe Starck. Over the course of two decades, naval architecture and design has formed a considerable – if largely unseen – chunk of Starck’s consultancy work. His best-known boat was the late Steve Jobs’ impressive Venus, a sleek 79m superyacht built by Dutch yard Feadship.

Starck has also turned his hand to two monumental commissions, the 119m Motor Yacht A and 143m Sailing Yacht A, both owned by the self-made entrepreneur and industrialist Andrey Melnichenko. At this end of the market, clients rarely invite the world’s media into their grand saloons, so much of what we know about these boats comes from spy shots, yachting enthusiasts, rampant speculation and the occasional glittering spread in the specialist press. A keen yachtsman and boat-builder himself, the designer likes to explore new techniques and technologies on a small scale before ramping up to meet the demands of his clients. Wallpaper* spoke to Starck about the business of building boats, what drew him to the industry in the first place and what keeps his ideas afloat.

Portrait of  Philippe Starck . Photography: James Bort

W*: How did your first naval project come about? Philippe Starck: One day, a gentleman called me to ask if I could design a 120m yacht. My answer was yes. He said: ‘perfect’. When I asked him about the programme, he said: ‘Make what you want’. One month later, it was designed. He loved it. We did it. The owners are happy. W: What are the key differences between designing yachts and designing buildings? PS: Except for monuments, buildings have functions, they are useful, we hope at least. A yacht is not made to be useful, it is the ‘crystallisation’ of a childhood dream. The territory is not the same; it is a sentimental imagination built with the highest rigorist technology. It is a paradox. W*: What yachting innovations are you most proud of at Starck design? PS: My first job was to replace the vulgarity of the power of money by the elegance of intelligence and happiness. Afterwards, there was an interesting work about harmony with the sea, then I worked on the elegance of the religious minimum of invisibility and other high-tech inventions . W*: What is next in the future of yachts? Can you speak about any upcoming projects? PS: The future is electric and hydrogen for all sizes of boats, from 3m to 300m. I am ready to help Elon Musk to make the same revolution he made for cars but applied to boats. After saving the earth, now it’s time to save the sea. W: Does yacht design ever bring innovations that you can translate into products or buildings? PS: Absolutely and that’s also the reason why I design boats. A mega yacht is a free advanced technology laboratory which explores thousands of challenges. When they are won, they can be applied to everything.

Tenders for‘ Motor Yacht A’, designed by Philippe Starck, 2008.

‘Motor Yacht A’, designed by Philippe Starck, 2008.

‘Venus’ Feadship, designed by Philippe Starck, for Steve Jobs, 2012

‘Sailing yacht A’, designed by Philippe Starck, for Andrey Melnichenko, 2015.

INFORMATION For more information, visit the  Philippe Starck   website

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Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.

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Motor Yacht 'A' Stylish Tenders by Philippe Starck

By B. Roberts

Motor Yacht 'A' is deemed to be one of the most iconic superyachts ever designed. Her designer, Philippe Starck, also created some of the most stylish tenders to compliment the superyacht to ferry her guests ashore.

Built by New Zealand based Vaudrey Miller, M/Y 'A''s tenders are two solid examples of cutting edge design and engineering which stand testament to the attention to detail put into this ground breaking superyacht. The two custom designed 11m tenders were overseen by naval architect Patrick Banfield who, alongside Starck and Vaudrey Miller, has created something of an exceptionally high standard for the owner.

Limo Tender The 11m Limousine Tender is a stunning personalised owner transport vehicle built to shuttle guests and the owner of 'A' from superyacht to shore. The beautiful varnished teak and holly deck gives the tender certain artistry, also offering a broad, non-slip surface which houses an interior that can match most mainline superyachts.

The interior photos display the sophisticated interior that allows headroom of 1.9 metres and full cutting edge entertainment systems alongside air-conditioning and refrigeration that create a feeling of pure comfort. The state-of-the-art tender also offers remotely activated, hydraulically powered hatches and retractable navigation systems.

Open Tender The sister to the Limo Tender is the Open Tender: an 11m open-top service tender which is also designed by Starck. The 'A' Open Tender houses a circular guest compartment at the centre in order to cruise around the superyacht and access other amenities positioned in the bow and sides.

Philippe Starck has proven his position as artisan designer by creating a magnificent and unique superyacht with two stunning tenders that could turn heads, even set apart from their mother ship.

"The beautiful varnished teak and holly deck gives the tender certain artistry, also offering a broad, non-slip surface which houses an interior that can match most mainline superyachts."

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Yacht A by Philippe Starck

Welcome to a life of luxury.

A life at sea is synonymous with extravagance and opulence; but the latest Blohm+Voss concept designed by Philippe Starck, supersedes the existing notions of luxury yachts to form a new idea of paradise.

Understatedly branded as Yacht A, maybe less subtle in the fact that it lists first alphabetically, the vessel combines an elegant aesthetic with a raw, rugged edge; concealing a twin 6035hp MAN RK280 Diesel engine capable of reaching up to 23 knots.

Beautifully conceived, the yacht is a truly innovative and unconventional design, with the upside down hull and unique exterior aesthetics creating a rare and illusive appeal. Together with the prolific imagination of designer Philippe Starck and engineers Blohm+Voss, Yacht A defies traditions to push the boundaries of aquatic design.

A masterful concept, the yacht boasts an abundance of space, tastefully decorated with wooden furnishings and sweeping glass facades. The most innovative detail of the entire project exists within the entertainment of the vessel; where the internal swimming pool seemingly eradicates the decision of whether one would want to swim in the pool or the ocean. The installation of a swimming pool with an active current, presents the illusion of open-sea swimming in the seclusion, safety and luxury on board of the yacht. What is more, the swimming pool is complete with a glass floor so it can be viewed from the discotheque below.

Designed to comfortably accommodate 14 guests in the owner’s suite and six guests suites, Yacht A provides the rigour of modern engineering and the elegance of design to exist as one of the finest vessels sailing today.

View the entire project below and visit the Blohm+Voss website for a closer look at their extensive Yacht catalogue.

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Homepage | New Build | Designers | Philippe Starck

Philippe Starck

Philippe Starck, born in Paris, is a luminary in the world of design, stretching his talents from interior design to product creation, and even into architecture. His early exposure to engineering, thanks to his father’s profession, led him to study at the École Nissim de Camondo in Paris. Launching his first company in 1968, which specialized in inflatable objects, Starck’s reputation soared in the 1970s when he took on interior design projects for elite venues like Paris nightclubs La Main Bleue and Les Bains-Douches. His breakthrough came in the 1980s when he redesigned private apartments in the Élysée Palace for French President François Mitterrand, cementing his status as an international sensation. Throughout his career, Starck has been a chameleon, adapting his aesthetic to the needs and character of each client, whether designing state apartments or trendy nightclubs.

Starck’s signature design language often features fluid, organic forms and incorporates playful, unexpected details. Parallel to his fame in interior design, he has also built an impressive portfolio of industrial designs, ranging from boats for Bénéteau to household appliances like the iconic Juicy Salif juicer for Alessi. His work doesn’t just serve an aesthetic purpose; it aims to add an element of humor and surprise to everyday activities. For example, his designs include details like a metal apple holder in the rooms of the Delano Hotel, with a message promising daily apple replenishment. Starck’s populist vision for design is perhaps most evident in his product range, which offers affordability without sacrificing quality or innovation.

As an architect, Starck may not be as well-known, but his work bears the same hallmark characteristics of his interior and industrial designs. Notable projects include Tokyo’s Asahi Beer Hall and the Unhex Nani-Nani office building. His interest in sustainability led to designs like the Broom Chair for Emeco, made from waste materials. His eco-consciousness even extended to using traceable plastics over natural materials like wood and leather. Starck’s more recent works include interior designs for luxury hotels and restaurants such as Le Royal Monceau and La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich. Through years of evolving and broadening his design repertoire, Philippe Starck has stayed true to his original goal: to enrich lives with designs that are as functional as they are beautiful, always with a dash of whimsy.

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Philippe Starck reveals the real story behind Steve Jobs' yacht

A blunder by a phone operator might have prevented the miracle from taking place and no one would have ever known about it. Philippe Starck still laughs at the thought. It was seven years ago, at the headquarters of his Parisian offices near the Place de la République. The employee had informed the famous French decorator that a Mr. Jobs had called. The young woman did not see who that might be—despite the fact that she probably had a Mac running in front of her and had been downloading music on her iPod for some time. Perhaps she had even seen Toy Story , the film that revolutionized animated features. Still, she had not made the connection with the founder of Apple, former owner of Pixar , the man who transformed technology into an object of desire and commerce. She had written down his name but had refused to disturb her boss. The caller, who had spoken English, hung up without leaving a number. “Can you imagine the aura of Jobs in 2007” chuckles Starck today. “He was basically God! And she doesn't put him through because she didn't know who he is! We were off to a good start.”

It was a miracle that the Californian divinity was not discouraged. “For anyone who knew Steve,” Starck adds, “he almost certainly wouldn't call back after such a humiliation.” A few weeks after this, "God" was on line again. This time, the Parisian designer was just leaving for Milan, to the annual furniture trade show, a ritual meeting place for the experts of planet design. A half-dozen motorcycle taxis awaited him, as well as members of his team, with their engines running. He barely had enough time to make the flight to Italy where a multitude of press conferences had been scheduled—being late was not an option. “I already had my helmet on when the operator caught me, breathless,” he says. “Monsieur Starck! Monsieur Starck! You know that person, that Mr. Jobs? He wants to talk to you!” I took off my helmet and heard his voice: “Would you like to make me a boat?” “Well… sure,” I replied. The two men only exchanged but a few words: “Fifteen seconds” of conversation, confirms Philippe Starck. To the American billionaire's direct question: “Will you know how?” he says he proudly replied, before blazing on to the airport, “Of course! I have palms in between my fingers and scales on my back. I am amphibian.”

The son of an engineer who designed airplanes, Starck spent a great part of his childhood admiring ships. At 15, he taught survival in the case of shipwreck at a sailing school in the bay of Morlaix, he and his brother also raced boats on the Seine. “I always had boats, whatever the size,” he told the quaterly Mer & Bateaux in 2012 . I always have one in the concept stage or the building stage. My wife and I have lived in places where we could have a boat moored in front of our house. We live on the water and for the water.” Famous for his hotel and restaurant designs all over the world —the Café Costes, the Mama Shelter hotel, the Meurice and the Royal Monceau in Paris, the Royalton in New York, the Mondrian in Los Angeles and the Fasano in Rio—Starck did not necessarily want to design yachts for anyone beside himself. In Starck Explications , a manifesto published in 2003 for the exhibition dedicated to his work at the Pompidou Center, he tells the story of a prank pulled on a client who wanted to commission him a yacht : he had advised him to first go for a swim to see whether he truly needed a boat! Later, a “gorgeous woman,” whose name he does not mention, made him a new offer (it was Hala Fares, the spouse of the businessman and Lebanese vice-premier minister Issam Fares) that he declined because he found the very idea of a yacht “structurally vulgar.” The lady, cunningly, defied him to build one that avoided vulgarity, and for her he designed Wedge Too . Six years later, in 2008, Starck conceived the A for Andrey Menichenko, the Russian oligarch. 119 meters long and weighing 6000 tons, it’s one of the greatest motor yachts ever made, and its cost was an estimated $300 million. Its aggressive form was the object of very lively criticism: in an article on January 23, 2008, the Wall Street Journal even wondered whether it wasn’t “the world’s ugliest boat.”

Moreover, Starck prides himself on helping save the Bénéteau ship yard in Vendée from bankruptcy by designing a line of sailboats for it, then conceiving a revolutionary single-rudder racer, Virtuelle , designed in 1997, for a very wealthy Italian (even though the plans are officially signed by a transalpine naval architect). According to Starck, ten years later, it was this sailboat, with its minimal lines, that Steve Jobs cited as an example to persuade him to work for him—“ Virtuelle is the most beautiful boat I’ve seen in my life,” is what he told him ( Mer & Bateaux , December 2012). Starck, who is not averse to tributes, and is prompt to quote this Rousseau sentence : “I would rather be a man of paradoxes than a man of prejudices,” took the compliment as a challenge. Jobs too had his contradictions. In 1995, after Pixar ’s successful skylight public offering, he had said he “was not planning on buying a yacht.” But Venus was not going to be just any yacht.

THE ASCETIC AND THE BON VIVANT

On April 28, 2007, Philippe Starck and his companion, Jasmine —he would marry her the following December—turned up in front of Steve Jobs residence in Palo Alto, California, in north Silicon Valley. The area seemed ordinary, the entrance gate did not look like much. A driver had taken them there after a twelve-hour flight between Paris and Los Angeles. Noting the modesty of the place, the French designer felt obliged to add : “We’re going to Steve Jobs’, you know, the head of Apple.” But the chauffeur did not turned around, it was the right address. “We got out. The gate in old ironwork was about a meter tall and there was a detail that struck me and pleased me, it closed with a plumbing jointure. I said to myself, “Wait, it might actually be here after all.” Starck opened it, crossed a “small yard,” knocked on the glass of what looked like a kitchen door. “It vibrated the way old tiles do. No one came but everything was open. Suddenly, a ghostly silhouette appeared, dressed in black. “Hi Philippe!” It was him, he kissed us. He was, straight away, extremely warm.”

It was there, in that “very humble little home in a chic and classic American suburb,” and which Philippe Starck deems was no bigger than 200 sq. meters, “that looked like 150,” that the two men came to know each other. Over the next four years, in the course of regular work sessions, a discreet and stimulating friendship united the two ingenious creative spirits, both endowed with equally oversized egos.

“He was the god of fastidiousness and I, I was the emperor of fastidiousness,” proclaims Philippe Starck quite simply. I am meeting with the designer in Paris, at one of his offices with a view on Place du Trocadéro. I had obtained the interview by dint of persistence and persuasion—after all, Jobs himself had had to call more than once. Starck is always in between two planes and ten homes (he owns properties—among other places—in Paris, Venice, Cap-Ferret.). He wants to be everywhere and nowhere, omnipresent but elusive. After all, he has called his company Ubik, borrowed from Phillip K. Dick’s masterpiece in which characters evolve in parallel universes.

Today, his company's offices and his main home are on the third floor of a majestic 1930s building with a panoramic view of the Eiffel tower and white spaces. Philippe Starck is wearing his usual outfit: jeans, sneakers and a hoodie. Jasmine is near him. A tall brunette, she too is wearing an informal uniform—black jeans and sneakers. A former publicist for the LVMH Group, she never leaves the side of her 65-year-old genius (she is 23 years younger), she monitors and records his words, intervenes, if necessary, to insert a recollection, corroborate a date, clarify a circumstance. A group of assistants finishes sweeping the room we are meeting in. “Cleaning,” in the true sense of the word, as in the figurative sense, is one of his obsessions. One day, he tells me, as he still couldn’t get over having been received by Steve Jobs in a house so wanting in luxury (in 2008, Forbes estimated the latter’s fortune to be $5.7 billion, the equivalent of more than 4 billion euros), he was emboldened to ask, “Steve, do you really live here?” “ Yes, why?” he answered. “It’s just that… everything is so clean, orderly, so tidy…" The Apple boss replied , “Oh, you want to see a mess?” and led him to his office. “There were a few newspapers scattered on the floor and two pairs of sneakers. This, for him, was the height of disorder.

As he recalls it, Steve Jobs lived in the middle of emptiness. “Not chic minimalism,” he states. “Rustic, rather. There was just nothing. A couch, three armchairs, a coffee table in the living room… Nothing.” In the biography that he devoted to the Californian inventor ( Steve Jobs , JC Lattes, 2011), Walter Isaacson also describes a man who was “so demanding with furniture” that his homes were empty. Before the one that Philippe Starck visited, he did nonetheless own a fourteen-room hacienda . For the house in Palo Alto, bought after his marriage to Laurene Powell in 1997, Jobs had to force himself to set up a minimum level of comfort—beds for a start—basic requirements for a family with three children (Reed, Erin and Eve). His character, sustained by Oriental philosophy was marked by austerity and bareness. On this point, the two men were in sync. “I’ve tried to be inspired by the Asian idea that emptiness is more important than fullness.” he wrote in Starck explications . Hence, the famous transparent chair he designed in 1998, and named The Marie, that is introduced as an “almost perfect object.” Just as the work that culminated in the birth of Venus tried to reach the “elegance of the minimal” according to Philippe Starck

Between April 2007 and the fall of 2011 (Steve Jobs died on October 5th, 2011), the Starcks travelled to Palo Alto one Sunday a month, usually with Thierry Gaugain—“my right arm, an exceptional character,” states the designer. Each session lasted twelve almost uninterrupted hours. The work was done on a coffee table, their backs bent, their noses only three feet above the floor. That is how it was. A torment for the bon vivant Philippe Starck, the usual posture for the ascetic Steve Jobs, invariably dressed in the black turtlenecks designed for him by Issey Miyake. It never occurred to the billionaire to even offer them a drink. “A large window hung above the space where we used to work,” recalls Starck. “We were literally cooking. From time to time Laurene would look in, “Have you offered them something to drink?” He would then return with a glass of water. There was never any food in his kitchen. Other than once when we ate together.” Starck remembers their host barely touched the dishes. Apart from his strict and hardcore vegan nutritional fads and phobias, Jobs was already gravely ill, cancer had been eating away at him since 2003. The Starcks say that each time they hugged him, they had the feeling that they would soon be holding nothing but a sheet of paper in their arms. “It still makes me tear up,” the decorator says—and while he easily draws the picture of an “poser," or "a show off", his eyes do, in fact, fill with tears at the memory.

A POT OF HONEY EVERY YEAR

In his conversations with Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs told the story of his yacht’s creation stating that Philippe Starck simply “helped” him design its interior design. It would be an understatement to say the latter did not appreciate this delegation. He considers himself the true parent of this floating unidentified object made of aluminum and glass, with its perfectly flat teak bridges and a beveled prow. If he is speaking—“for the first and the last time,” he emphasizes,—about his work on this project, and his relationship with Jobs, it is not only to provide “ a more nuanced analysis” of the strange client who commissioned it, but also, in great part, to set the record straight.

For him, there are two important facts that must be remembered. The first is that he, Philippe Starck, was chosen out of everyone else by the great man to bring his nautical dream into material existence. He recalls an anecdote told by Steve Jobs : “Every year we go on vacation on my friend Larry Ellison’s boat [the other Silicon Valley genius, founder of Oracle, according to Forbes in 2013 the world’s fifth richest man, is a sailing fanatic]. And every year, I say to myself, I too should have a boat built. But I don’t do it. Two years ago, I decided I was going to go for it. I looked at everything, asked everyone, and came to the conclusion that only one person can do it: you.” Even with an ego inflated with helium, how can one not keel over at such praise? “It was more than an honor,” Starck says, “a sacrament.” No doubt he means a consecration. Liturgical words are omnipresent in the mouth of this claimed atheist. During our conversation, he later invoked the “philosophical communion” of two souls in love with perfection.

So, Super Starck left their first meeting entranced. Galvanized by the confidence the most demanding of clients has placed in him. “He was giving me carte blanche, in some way.” The following night, in Los Angeles, he says he was struck by inspiration. Here, the second important fact, “I designed it all—all, all, all, in one and a half hours. The whole thing was wrapped up. I work extremely quickly.” Under what circumstances? “I was in bed. My wife was sleeping next to me. Los Angeles reminded me of Steve, Steve sailing… I said to myself, “Hang on, I’m going to draw it.” Jobs had given him very simples rules to work with. The length of the hull : 82 meters exactly. The number of passengers: “Family and crew. A total of six rooms, all of them identical.” And above all, one requirement: silence. “Steve wanted to be sure that the teenagers could be set up in the front of the boat when he was at the back and vice-versa. He was obsessed with silence. In his home, children did not make noise, nor the dog, nor his wife… no one made any noise, ever.”

Even on July 11th, 2008, the day the world discovered the iPhone 3G, the little house remained preternaturally calm. Starck remembers being the bewitched witness of this moment . “The entire world was in an uproar, people were standing in line for hours, in front of stores. It was the greatest launch of all time [barely three days later, Apple announced it had sold over a million units], the greatest investment and he barely seemed to register it. Not a single phone call made or received. Wow! That's true aristocracy in organization and mastery of self.”

At the next meeting, initially planned as the second contact between them, Starck arrived “with all the drawings.” He was carrying a large suitcase—“1.2 meters, 1.3 meters,” he deems—that contained the mock up of the future yacht. After a moment of perplexity, Jobs was wonderstruck and supposedly exclaimed: “It’s more than I could never [sic] imagine.” Starck’s freeform translation: “The world’s most powerful man, known as being the most intransigent, incapable of saying thank you or bravo, was telling us, “This is beyond all my dreams.””

Incredible indeed. Jobs’ biography, that was published after his death, underscores the genius’ versatility, his disingenuousness, his propensity to humiliate, to be obnoxious with his most faithful friends and collaborators—in short, to burn everything he adored. Steve Wozniak, Apple’s co-founder, or John Sculley, the historical CEO of the Apple company, paid the price. “He could be charming with those he detested, just as he could be detestable with those he loved.” writes Isaacson. Had their collaboration lasted longer, perhaps Philippe Starck too would have had to suffer Steve Jobs’ moods. When I suggested this hypothesis, he frowned. “I’m not sure about that,” he answered me, “He liked us. Through this boat, we came to be among the three or four friends that really mattered to him.” As proof of this, he offers the fact that every year, the California billionaire would send a pot of honey from his own hives. And that he sometimes expressed a touching preoccupation for to the young couple he and Jasmine formed. On the fated day, when in religious silence, the plans drawn by the decorator were “scanned and rescanned,” examined from every angle by Jobs in the course of a few minutes, he says he only heard him utter four “very pleasing” sentences. The first was, “Are you going to get married?” Answer: “Maybe.” The second: “Are you planning to have children?” An even more elliptical answer, “Euh…” “I knew it, I was telling Laurene,” he had smilingly answered. And the last: “Very well, carry on like this. See you next month.” For Starck, this too is a point of pride: “I don’t believe he’d ever experienced it in his life. We’re used to it: in general, people don’t talk, they find whatever is being presented to them to be very fine. But coming from him—especially when we learned in the book, after his death, the way he treated others—it was stunning.”

Philippe Starck admits, nevertheless, to having first-hand experienced the down side of this 'detail freak'(dixit his autobiography).The four years that followed the initial approval consisted of a millimeter by millimeter examination of the plans. “In order to achieve the height of intelligence in everything,” explains the designer rather cryptically. According to him, nothing was modified of his initial drawings, but everything was revisited. “With Thierry Gaugain, we reinvented marine technology, no less,” he says. “Nothing like it had been undertaken, not since the dawn of time. Still, the client argued about every detail, and for Starck it sometimes went “beyond the annoying.” “I don't want to sound pretentious,” he says, “but we are professionals. We have designed rockets [for Virgin Galactic], motorcycles [for Aprilia], electric cars, boats… When we present a solution, we know it’s the right one. With Thierry Gaugain, we would float him flurries of ideas at each meeting, and for his part, he’d answer, “No, no, no.” Until the moment when, because he had in mind the shipyard's schedule, he would pick an idea and say, “I’ve got it, this is what we’ll do.” And, to our shattered stupefaction, we would realize it was the solution we had presented him with the previous month or two years prior. “But Steve…” It was to no avail, he had appropriated it.”

It seems this was Steve Jobs' way. Those close to him had resigned themselves to referring to his “distortion of reality” syndrome. The most enormous distortion in Starck’s eyes was the one forming the basis of the “lie” perpetrated about him in Jobs' talks with Isaacson that served primarily as material for his hagiography (before devoting himself to the founder of Apple, this ex-head of CNN and Time had written biographies of two monumental figures in science: Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin). On page 595 of the book, he writes, “To outfit the interior, he hired Philippe Starck, the French designer, who would come regularly to Palo Alto to work on the plans.” Starck is still indignant. “He must have said that two months before he died,” he snaps, ”How could he still want to lie to serve his own glory? So powerful was his ego, such was the distortion of reality within him that he was incapable of recognizing the work of another person.” In the version of the story according to Starck, that he presents as the only acceptable one, beginning with the second meeting, “not a single wall, not the smallest detail of the hull” underwent any changes from what he had imagined in his bed in Los Angeles. “We looked at everything during the course of four years, but nothing shifted by even a tenth of a millimeter.” Seated next to him, Jasmine too sighs at the ingratitude of “Steve.” “And yet he displayed such great confidence in us.”

A PHILOSOPHICAL OBJECT

On a Sunday in 2009, the year of his liver transplant, Jobs told them, “I’m going to disappear for three months, I will call you on such and such a day at 10 o’clock.” On the said day and hour, he asked them to come back to Palo Alto. A reunion. “We were very moved,” recalls Starck. “He hated personal questions, but at the time, after such a resurrection, I was compelled to ask him, “Have you thought about your life? Are there things you would like to change?” He answered, “Nothing. I would not want a different one. I have had a great deal of time to reflect, I have thought about the boat. There are, today, three things that matter to me: my family, my company and you guys.” He was talking about Jasmine and I! He added, “My only problem is that you don’t live on my street.” Moved, the Starcks set to work, bending over the coffee table. Five years later, in his immaculate office, Starck proclaims this with a bit of exaltation, “There will never again be a boat of that quality again. Because never again will two madmen come together to accomplish such a task. There'll never again be so much creativity, rigor, and above all philosophy, applied to a material creation. It was not a yacht that Steve and I were constructing, we were embarked on a philosophical action, implemented according to a quasi-religious process. We formed a single brain with four lobes.”

One might wonder what exactly an 82-meter philosophical object, capable of crossing all the world’s seas, looks like. “When we talked, it was not to decide whether it was better to use aluminum or steel. The questions that arose were of an ethical order. As for the details, try to imagine the height of minimalism.” Where specifics are concerned, that is not a lot to go with. At most, the designer proffers that the cockpit was “a piece of curved glass, 23 meters long, 6 centimeters thick,”—a prowess whose materialization was entrusted to the chief engineer of the Apple Stores. He even refuses to confirm the description of the control panel equipped with seven 27” iMac screens, released in 2012 at the time of the ship’s launch, upon its completion by the Royal de Vries ship yard in the south-west of Amsterdam (this is also true of a few other particularities, like the presence of a large terrace with an integrated Jacuzzi, and avant-gardist processes for aeration, and completely silent electronically controlled blinds.) “There are just commands, but there is no complex home automation. Each person would have their own portable controls with them.” he explained in Mers & Bateaux . Photographs of this floating building were taken at its launch from the Dutch shipyard, but no views of the interior have ever been communicated. “The philosophy was the same as for the exterior: the least of everything,” confides Starck. With a reproachful pout, he adds, “In Steve’s lifetime, I had formulated recommendations for the furnishings, but Laurene put in the furniture she wanted. I’m not there to interfere in these people’s taste.”

Starck also refused to confirm the cost of this prodigious vessel of the seas. The press has mentioned 100 million euros. He neither says yes nor no and dodges the question with this circumlocution: “Its price is totally normal relative to the work undertaken and to its religious quality.” We’ll have to wait for Laurene Jobs or her children to sell the yacht to hope to learn its worth—and even then, there’s nothing to say the transaction figures would be divulged. As for the rest, it seems unlikely that the inheritors should choose one day to get rid of what was the last dream of the founder of Apple. “I know it’s possible that I may die and leave Laurene with a half-finished boat,” he confided to Isaacson a few months before his passing, “but I must continue. Otherwise, it would be admitting that I am going to die.”

The Venus sailed, granted. Yet its launch was not without turmoil. When he heard the men at the Royal de Vries shipyard usurp the boat’s paternity in front of Jobs’ family, collaborators and friends, Philippe Starck flew into a rage. “It was a good shipyard, but with people whose moral fiber was particularly elastic and who had the staggering nerve to say that they had designed this extraordinary boat, the most inventive in the world,” he says indignantly. “I haver never experienced in my entire life such violence through a lie.” Jasmine interrupts him to elaborate on the scene, “You said, “You've got to be kidding!” and we took off.” No doubt, his heart was still raging when on the following December 21st, the French decorator ordered the yacht seized in the port of Aaalsmeer.” He invoked a lawsuit brought for two unpaid invoices. Indeed, Steve Jobs’ inheritors refused to pay the 3 million euros that are owed to Starck on a total fee of 9 million euros—they consider the $6 million already paid match the percentage agreed upon in advance.

“Some lawyer probably wanted to look clever,” the decorator murmurs today. At the time, he was forced to admit no written document formalized the financial aspect of his agreement with Jobs. His representative in Holland explained that the two men were “very close during the period of the creation of the design,” and during the construction, adding that it was “in part why no formal work agreement had been drawn up.” Three days later, a compromise was reached between the two parties’ lawyers and the seizure order was lifted. The Venus embarked a cargo ship not long thereafter, headed for the United States. No image of Steve Jobs aboard it or overseeing its construction has ever been shown—no one even knows if he was able to see the boat with his own eyes. Philippe Starck, for his part, has never seen it sail.

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31.05.12 - News

Port Adriano, the new harbor designed by Philippe Starck

Located on the south coast of the island of Mallorca, Port Adriano has become one of the Mediterranean’s main luxury leisure harbors, with 82 new berths for yachts of up to 60/80 meters long. The union of the creative and visionary talent of Philippe Starck and the experience of the Port Adriano team has achieved installations that have revolutionized the concept of ports. Starck blurs the frontier between harbour and boat, creating direct contact with the sea and extending the experience of yachts interior design to the quays: from the bollards to the woods chosen for the surfaces or the lamps of the piers, design is an essential part of Port Adriano.

“A port is a village where the piers are the streets, we should be able to enjoy pacing them. So I minimized the ruptures between the water and the land, using sober materials, evoking the nautical universe. I wanted to unveil the truth of the harbor ." Ph.S

DP Port Adriano

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Philippe Starck's best lifestyle collaborations

Starck furniture for kartell, driade, glas italia and cassina.

A legend in the superyacht industry for penning the designs of  Motor Yacht A ,  Venus  and  Senses , among others,  Philippe Starck  also has a long history of collaborations in the lifestyle industry. From high-tech gadgets and Champagne to fashion and interiors, click through to see some of Starck’s best lifestyle projects.

Starck furniture

With a strong track record in both yacht and private jet interior design, it seems only a natural progression that Starck should also turn his hand to furniture design. Over the years Starck has worked with some of the finest Italian furniture brands, including creating the iconic Generic chairs for Kartell, the innovative Lady Hio table for Glas Italia and chic sofas and armchairs for the likes of Cassina and Driade. These on-going collaborations are unveiled at Salone del Mobile in Milan each year, becoming a firm highlight of the fair, while Starck's latest collaboration with Kartell was revealed at the London Design Festival in September 2018. Building on his previous collaborations with the brand, the range comprised three chairs designed for both indoor and outdoor use including the Cara chair (pictured) which is unusual for Kartell in its use of upholstery and fabric.

Metz hotel for Curio Collection

If your budget doesn't stretch to commissioning Philippe Starck to create your own yacht perhaps a night in a Starck-designed hotel will suffice instead. Curio Collection, a hotel group owned by the Hilton brand, recently unveiled plans to build a 14-storey hotel in the French city of Metz designed in collaboration with Starck and featuring an 18th-century house on the roof. This unusual feature has been added to create synergy with the nearby Centre Pompidou Metz and will house a restaurant and lounge bar for use by guests staying in the hotel's 119 rooms.

The Bentley by Starck Power Dock

Image courtesy of Bentley

In March 2018 luxury British car marque Bentley announced that it had teamed up with Starck and tasked the designer with creating a beautiful custom charging dock for its Bentayga Hybrid car. Starck, himself a fan and customer of Bentley for many years, created an elegant dock with a domed frontage created using sustainable materials including eco-linen, bio-sourced resin and aluminium. Designed for at-home installation, the Bentley by Starck Power Dock can be used in conjunction with a smartphone app and, when not in use, stands alone as a piece of sculptural art. Currently still at concept stage, the dock is expected to become available in the second half of 2018 when the first Bentayga Hybrids are delivered.

S+ARCK beer by Philippe Starck and Sébastien Blaquière

Following on from his previous collaboration with Champagne maker Louis Roederer, in 2017 Philippe Starck joined forces with Sébastien Blaquière, founder of Brasserie d’Olt, to create an exceptional organic beer. The S+ARCK IPA is brewed on the Aubrac plateau in France's Massif Central using organic ingredients from the region resulting in a delicate beer with notes of citrus, pineapple and exotic fruits. Starck also had a hand in designing the beer's stylish bottle which is produced in a 200-year-old factory in Albi. Want to try it for yourself? The S+ARCK beer is served in many of the French Riviera's top restaurants , including the Sailfish Cafe and Pinasse Cafe in Cap Ferrat.

Alo smartphone by Philippe Starck, Jerome Olivet and Thomson

Starck's second smartphone design (see next slide for the Mi Mix), Alo has been created in collaboration with fellow French designer Jerome Olivet and electronics company Thomson and completely reimagines the way mobile phones look and function. While still at the concept stage, a prototype is expected to be developed paving the way for a revolution in smartphone technology.

Alo does away with the basic rectangular shape we have become used to, instead replacing it with a screen-less, aesthetically pleasing aluminium form which projects 3D holographic images of messages, pictures, videos or anything else you would normally view on a phone screen. With no keys to disrupt its curved form, Alo is also completely voice activated and is equipped with high performance voice recognition and artificial intelligence software so the more you talk to it the better it responds to your voice. Fan of a selfie? Don't worry, Alo boasts a dual camera and high-speed charge so you need never miss a photo opportunity.

Mi Mix by Philippe Starck for Xiaomi

Image courtesy of Xiaomi

One of Starck’s recent collaborations was with Chinese tech firm Xiaomi to create the Mi Mix – a smartphone as cool as your superyacht . Boasting Starck’s signature blend of tactile user-friendliness and functionality, the Mi Mix features a ceramic body and near-edgeless display with a battery life of up to 13 hours making it strong competition for both the iPhone 7 and Google Pixel. It even comes in an Exclusive Edition with 18 karat gold detailing for those looking for an extra touch of luxury.

Philippe Starck x Louis Roederer

There is perhaps no drink more oft associated with the glamorous life of yachting than Champagne so it seems only fitting that Starck should team up with Louis Roederer on one of the best Champagne collaborations . Starck designed the colourful label and box for the brand’s Brut Nature 2009 vintage which – in keeping with Starck’s reputation for innovation – has been described as the most modern of all Roederer Champagnes.

Starck Parfums by Philippe Starck and Dominique Ropion

Instagram/@starckparfums

As well as owning his own design, interiors and architecture business, Philippe Starck also has a side line in fine perfumes. Created with the help of expert perfumer Dominique Ropion and debuted in September 2016, the collection currently comprises three fragrances: Peau de Soie, a feminine fragrance characterised by woody and vegetable notes, Peau d’Ailleurs, a unisex perfume with earthy, musky and amber tones, and Peau de Pierre, a masculine scent with a smoky core.

Philippe Starck x Ipanema

A great pair of sandals is a yachting wardrobe essential for any owner and who better to design them than a man as well acquainted with superyachts as Philippe Starck? In 2016, Starck collaborated with Brazilian shoe brand Ipanema to create a line of minimalist sandals aimed at offering women stylish, elegant choices for every aspect of their lives. Available in four designs and 12 colours, the sandals were stocked in some of the world’s most famous department stores, including Alchemist in Miami and Colette in Paris, in 2016.

Zik 3 headphones by Philippe Starck for Parrot

The third generation of headphones designed by Starck for French tech brand Parrot, the Zik 3 headphones are yet another example of Starck’s ability to marry style and substance. Aesthetically beautiful with shiny crocodile, leather or over-stitched options in a range of sophisticated shades, the Zik 3 headphones boast wireless charging and listening capabilities, smartphone compatibility, adaptive noise control and ‘head detection’ which automatically pauses music when the headphones are taken off.

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