Work: Louis Ghost

Description

“An absolute void would be too arid. It would be inhuman. Instead, the Louis Ghost is a sentimental void, because it is a void that feeds on collective memory. Which means that I didn’t design the Louis Ghost, but together we all designed the Louis Ghost.” — Philippe Starck

Standing 94 cm high and 55 cm wide, the Louis Ghost chair derives its name from its royal lineage and its striking transparency. Its silhouette is directly inspired by the flowing, curved lines of the 18th-century Louis XV armchair—a masterpiece originally brought to life by French master cabinetmakers.

In its original era, this revolutionary Rococo armchair was the epitome of luxury and comfort, featuring plush padding upholstered in rich brocade, with the armrests seamlessly anchoring the backrest to the seat. The frame was crafted from fine oak or gilded walnut, intricately hand-carved with relief motifs of classical mythology, chimeras, foliage, and elegant female faces.

In 2002, designer Philippe Starck and Italian manufacturer Kartell stripped away this historical opulence, replacing it with the minimalist rigor of contemporary design. The result was the Louis Ghost: an object molded entirely from a single material—transparent polycarbonate.

While Starck discarded the dense ornamentation, he carefully preserved the traditional silhouette, condensing the historical form into a perfectly oval backrest and fluid, rounded lines. The chair is produced as a single, seamless piece by injecting molten plastic into a high-pressure mold, leaving no visible joints, hardware, or mounting points. Though available in several translucent shades, it is the stark clarity of the Crystal version that most powerfully embodies this design.

“Transparency helps to make it blend into the domestic landscape, but in the intentions of its designer, the chair is meant to be anything but anonymous. Starck, one of the very first Celebrity Designers—creators, or rather personalities, who become more famous than their creations and the companies they work for—focuses on provocation, style, and exhibitionism, doing everything he can to ensure that his objects are never neutral. We could say that the international style in Italian design began with the Louis Ghost.” says Chiara Alessi

Brioches – duration 1:04
Sonic evocation of the object created by Paolo Ferrario

Further information: Louis Ghost on the Kartell website