Originally a nightclub designer in the 1970s, Starck became widely known in the 1980s for projects ranging from the French president's private headquarters to the Café Costes in Paris. When he made his curvy­backed, spike­legged chair the centerpiece of design for the café in 1984, both chair and café became famous overnight. He is also known for interiors, such as the Royalton and Paramount hotels in New York and for product designs including furniture for Kartell, Driade, and Flos crystal for Daum cutlery for Sasaki and domestic wares for Alessi.