Most likely influenced by his father, who worked as an aircraft engineer, Starck studied at the École Nissim de Camondo, Paris, and in 1968 set up his first company, which produced inflatable objects. Always interested in design as a total concept, in the 1970s he made a reputation for himself by creating interiors for clients such as the Paris nightclubs La Main Bleue (1976) and Les Bains-Douches (1978). Starck first gained international attention when he was commissioned to refurbish the private apartments in the Élysée Palace (1983–84) in Paris for French President François Mitterrand.