Origins

John Hitchcox had shaken up the London property market, turning undesirable lofts into the hottest addresses in town. Philippe Starck had made his name as the design provocateur who re-invented the lemon squeezer and re-defined the luxury hotel.

When yoo launched, The Sunday Times Magazine called Hitchcox and Starck a 'dream team'. Management Today said yoo was the 'next step post the loft era'. That was 1999, and as you can see we made headlines right from the start. Our democratic, design-centred philosophy set us apart. 'The difference with yoo,' John Hitchcox has said, 'is that we start on the inside and work out. It's a simple idea, but it works.'