Design classic: the Louis Ghost chair by Philippe Starck

Philippe Starck’s Louis Ghost is an inexpensive, stackable, plastic chair. In its arched back and wide legs there is a humorous nod to a Louis XVI armchair. You could say it is lightweight — in every sense of the word — but it is also a classic, despite being only 14 years old. Unmistakably inspired by the 18th century and undeniably modern in execution, this is a chair for a king redesigned for the mass market. More than 2m have been sold, according to its manufacturer, Kartell.

Claudio Luti, president of Kartell, says the chair is the “perfect combination of aesthetics and function at a reasonable, industrial price”. Yet there is also the surprising ease with which its unapologetic modernity, its tough plastic, sits in an interior. “In my house,” adds Luti, “I have the Louis Ghost around a 19th-century table.”

The chair’s transparency gives it an ethereal presence; it is conspicuously inconspicuous. Its invisibility also enhances the visibility of the person sitting on it; the throne-like armrests and medallion back tactfully aggrandise its occupant.

Reimagining functional objects is Starck’s hallmark. He has brought his light-hearted artistry to an array of unlovely items — toothbrushes, toothpicks, even the toilet brush holder. Throughout the 20th century the prevailing attitude to plastic was that it was cheap and disposable, but Starck has placed it on a par with wood and metal as a high-end design material. The Louis Ghost took two years to trial and research, using injected polycarbonate to fashion a frame from a single mould. There are no joints or bindings in its structure. Its plastic body is tough and light, tongue-in-cheek and timeless.