Starck interiors for Taschen’s London store

Taschen has confirmed that Philippe Starck will design its flagship store located in London’s Covent Garden, which is due to launch next year, as revealed by Design Week.

The store is located at 48 Neal Street and will initially open for trading this month under a temporary design created by Taschen’s in-house design team, says a spokeswoman for the company. The shop will then close early next year for a total refurbishment and redesign by the French celebrity designer.

Starck has a long-standing working relationship with Taschen, having designed the German publisher’s stores in Paris and Beverly Hills. He is also creating Taschen’s first store in New York City, due to open in February 2007.

The spokeswoman claims that this is the only store Taschen plans to launch in the UK, despite an original consideration to open two book shops. The design details are yet to be discussed, but the spokeswoman confirms that the interior will follow a similar look to its other Starck-designed stores, which often feature extravagant and quirky designs.

The Beverly Hills shop is based around the design concept of a ‘Sistine Chapel’, and features plasma TV screens, purple mirrors, handmade glass walls and a lounge area with a black leather banquette. It also features 20 computer-generated collages created by the artist Albert Oehlen. The images are based on the wide selection of Taschen books that adorn the walls and ceiling. The design of the Taschen book store in Paris – which opened in 2001- is more akin to a boutique retail interior environment.

Taschen specialises in books on design, fashion, travel and pop culture.