Master of His Domain: Karim Rashid

Karim Rashid is in control. The renowned industrial designer is a committed futurist and a perfectly groomed exercise fanatic. His antiseptic home is free of unessential possessions and black clothing. Some would say he's, well, anal. But then there's his flair for drama: He wears rose-tinted, oversized glasses and is married to a "goddess." The Egyptian-born, Canadian-bred designer has fashioned everything from luxury hotels to Umbra's "Garbo" trash cans to dog bowls for Target. In his book, Design Your Self, he's looking to make you over.

When were you first conscious of design?

I entered a drawing competition on a cruise ship when I was 5. All of the other children drew dolphins and waves; I drew a stack of leather suitcases and I won.

Also, my father was a painter and set designer. He often did portraits of my mother. When I was in the second grade, he borrowed my invisible-ink pen, which shows up only when backlit, and drew nude pictures of her on a lampshade. I took it to show-and-tell!

But weren't you uncomfortable, showing the class naked pictures of your mom?

No! I thought it was very natural. That was the environment I grew up in. My father sewed dresses for my mother, and he taught me how to sew.

I imagine that in high school you were different from the other boys.

Oh, I couldn't get a girlfriend. I wore a custom-made pink satin suit to my graduation, and I painted my nails pink.

Did you like the attention you got?

Yes. But, this was the late '70s. The glam-rock thing was going on, so in a way you had more personal expression back then. My office is next to a high school now. It's amazing how conformist the students are—and how horribly they dress.

The theme of your work seems to be "sensual minimalism."

You could argue we don't need 90 percent of what we possess. We make
a very unnecessarily complex world.

How do you see history?

I think tradition is what holds us back. You know, if I'm a Muslim or a Jew, I don't eat pork. That's absurd. The reason we didn't eat pork at one time is that it was full of worms because we didn't have refrigerators, right? We're hanging on to ideas and values and ways to live that are six, seven thousand years old.

But many people find meaning in religious traditions.

The world is changing, but we don't want to admit it. The reason we can't make a science fiction film that shows a bright future is because we think that the past was better.

But technology can be soulless. Staring at a computer all day is draining.

I think that's something you've been taught. What would be the difference between that and being in an office 30 years ago, or going to the library and spending a whole day looking through books? Roughly 25 years ago, 1 out of 20 people actually sat down and wrote letters. Today we write e-mail, nonstop. I think technology is humanizing us.

What's surprisingly conventional about you?

Well, I live a very banal life. I have to have eight hours of sleep. I work out six days a week. I meditate each day. I eat perfectly. I don't smoke, drink or use drugs.

You and your wife occasionally ask each other, "What are the three things you would change about me?" Do you ever apply that to yourself?

Yes. In 2000, I got rid of all my black clothes. And I did something I call "addition by subtraction." For the past six years, I've accumulated nothing. If I buy a pair of socks, I get rid of a pair of socks.

You're a neat freak. Does that make it hard to live with someone else ?

No, it's absolutely seamless. I provide the material shell—every object in our home is something I've designed, except the refrigerator.

It seems you go to great lengths to cultivate a flamboyant image.

I just say what I believe. When I lecture, I'm not talking about design. I'm supposed to talk about dish-soap packaging. But it's a much bigger picture that I'm really interested in. This whole thing is just a front for a planet I want to design!

Life on Planet Karim

Here's what Karim would expect of you if he ruled the world.

Dress Code

• Wear clothes from the contemporary era.
• Carry standout luggage, such as a fluorescent-orange suitcase.

House Rules

• Live in a home that is free of sharp edges.
• Own just one TV.
• Display objects only if they hold special meaning.

Rites of Passage

• Watch documentaries at age 6.
• Travel the world at age 40.
• Earn a new degree at age 60.

Social Etiquette

• Return calls and e-mails pronto!
• Edit friends down to those you'd keep in touch with if you moved.

To-Do List

• Have sex every day.
• Learn a new word in your native tongue (and in a foreign language) every week.
• Throw an extravagant dance party each year.

Final Touches

• Order yourself a clear, shell-shaped, vertical coffin
• Or, plan for your ashes to be pressurized into diamonds.

From Rashid's book, Design Your Self (Regan Books)