America and Bobby Dekeyser
“I’m trying to discover more and more of America,” says Bobby Dekeyser, the Belgian founder of the outdoor furniture company Dedon, who recently moved to New York.
Villas at Dedon Island Resort in the Philippines. Paul Barbera
“Really looking forward to Nashville. Definitely want to see Wyoming.” Dekeyser may be based here (in an apartment in Chelsea that he shares with his girlfriend, the actress Gina Gershon), but he’s constantly traveling: to the Philippines, where his wares are manufactured and where he recently opened Dedon Island Resort, on the island of Siargao; to Geneva, home to his philanthropic Dekeyser & Friends Foundation; and to Ibiza, where his summer house is like a “small hotel” for family and friends. “We’re modern gypsies, both of us,” he says about himself and Gershon. “I don’t have an office anywhere in the world. I don’t like houses. My plane is my house. My home is people.”
When he’s in Ibiza, Dekeyser likes to take his boat out in the morning to the neighboring island of Formentera. ‘‘You’re totally alone on an untouched beach there. It’s really magical.’’
Bobby Dekeyser, in a Gucci sweater, Levi’s jeans and Alden for J. Crew shoes, at a table in his Chelsea apartment. Fashion editor: Jason Rider. Fashion assistant: Elena Hale. Grooming by Brent Lavett at Art Department using Lavett & Chin.
The globe was a gift from Gershon when they moved into their new apartment — ‘‘I see this and I want to fly somewhere,’’ he says. Noe Dewitt
Villas at Dedon Island Resort in the Philippines. Paul Barbera
She got him the antique binoculars for his birthday (he always forgets to bring a pair when he goes up in his hot-air balloon). Noe Dewitt
His plane, a Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350i Turboprop, painted Dedon yellow, is kept on Long Island. Courtesy of Bobby Dekeyser
Dekeyser snapped this photo while taking a stroll in the Bavarian countryside.
When he’s in Ibiza, Dekeyser likes to take his boat out in the morning to the neighboring island of Formentera. ‘‘You’re totally alone on an untouched beach there. It’s really magical.’’
His double-height living room in New York has views of the Hudson. ‘‘You feel like you’re in a boat.’’ Noe Dewitt
He hates wearing a jacket, but for emergencies he travels with this decade-old knit Armani blazer. ‘‘You can crumple it, take it in a bag, take it out, and it looks perfect.’ Noe Dewitt
A beaded head he and girlfriend Gina Gershon recently found in Marrakesh. Noe Dewitt
Dekeyser, who used to live in Geneva, has spent a lot of time in the Alps. ‘‘For me, the mountains are so important,’’ he says. ‘‘Every 10 feet you go you have a different perspective.’’
For his son’s birthday, they took a motorcycle trip around the West Coast. ‘‘We arrived in Las Vegas at midnight when he turned 18. Unbelievable.’’
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By JULIA FELSENTHAL for the NY Times