1. casualliving.comMay 201426
When Bobby Dekey-
ser, the founder and
chairman of Dedon, walks into
a room, it’s immediately appar-
ent he’s arrived. In fact, there
is a definite buzz of activity as
he enters the company’s new
beautifully appointed show-
room, which officially opened
this spring at the D&D (Decora-
tion & Design) Building in New
York City.
It’s also obvious from talking
with Dekeyser that the man
who speaks faster than wildfire
relies on his intuition to make
decisions and prefers that
things in work and in life hap-
pen “organically.” Over time
his sharp instincts have helped
him grow what started out as
an entrepreneurial endeavor
into a booming worldwide
brand.
“It’s about good balance,”
Dekeyser said. “How you love,
how you interact with people,
how you do business. All of
this is your permanent work.
When we started our company
it was about making friends
and family happy. It was not
about business. We never had a
business plan.”
A former German soccer
star, Dekeyser was the Bayern
Munich club’s goalkeeper until
a serious injury ended his ca-
reer. Not one to follow the tradi-
tional playbook, he planned
his next move right from his
hospital bed. He hooked up
with his brother-in-law Brando
Donapai to try his hand at a
couple of businesses.
Before they merged the first
few letters of their surnames to
create Dedon, there were the
spray-painted skis (“terrible”
Dekeyser has said) and the
outdoor rattan furniture that
fell apart after less than two
Dream Weaver
D e d o n p r e pa r e s f o r n e x t p h a s e o f o p e n - a i r l i v i n g
d e s i g n f e at u r e
by Jamie Sorcher
As founder of Dedon, a
father, athlete, author,
philanthropist and entre-
preneur, Dekeyser always
gets it done with his
“barefoot state of mind.”

2. casualliving.comMay 201428
years. He wanted to get it right
so Dekeyser replaced the rattan
by creating an environmentally
friendly woven synthetic fiber
that was made by artisans on
the Philippine island of Cebu.
Still, he admitted, he no idea
about furniture.
“We made our first Dedon
collection and showed at the
Frankfurt Furniture Expo,” he
said. “Nobody was interested
in the furniture. But we
brought along some
bast fiber giraffes to
decorate the booth. We
sold 15,000 giraffes, but no
furniture.”
Still, the show wasn’t a total
loss. It proved pivotal for De-
keyser because it was where he
first met Angelo van Tol, who
is now CEO of Diethelm Keller
Investments AG and chairman
of Gloster, a producer of pre-
mium outdoor teak furniture.
“Often in life we talk
about those first few mo-
ments when we form an
impression of someone. This
was strongly confirmed in this
instance,” Dekeyser has said.
When Dekeyser and van
Tol reconnected again after
22 years at the Milan Furni-
ture Expo last year, what was
supposed to be a short meet-
ing turned into an extended
encounter as both visionaries
discussed their view of outdoor
living of the future.
A deal was fashioned to
form DK Furniture Brands
Holding AG, headquartered in
Zurich, which empowers both
companies to embark on a new
journey and to explore a vision
of outdoor living together while
also allowing each company
to maintain its unique identity
and flourish independently.
Dekeyser, Dedon CEO Hervé
Lampert, and van Tol are
helming the strategic leader-
ship of DK Furniture Brands
Holding AG.
But for Dekeyser, the merger
also means the legacy of the
Dedon name goes on. The
father of three children, all
adults, isn’t sure if any of them
will someday want to be a part
of the company he has built.
“Yes, that is part of the idea
behind this,” he said. “They get
involved partially for projects,
but they have their own fashion
and music companies. If they
want to do this, it would have to
be organic. No one ever forced
me to do anything and I would
not want to do that to them.”
For now, the company is
increasing its presence on the
West Coast with the scheduled
opening this month of Dedon’s
showroom at the Pacific Design
Center.
As for what’s after that,
Dekeyser is excited for the
future – for both his company
and the industry. “Indoor com-
panies are trying to do outdoor,
of course,” he said. “But it
really has to fit into a company.
Indoor companies may want
to become outdoor companies,
but it isn’t in their soul,” Dekey-
ser said. “It isn’t in their DNA.
You really have to live it.”
d e s i g n f e at u r e
Continued
Designed by Philippe Starck, this modular Ryan collection offers remarkable versatility. The furniture is accentuated by armrests that are so generously proportioned
that they double as side tables.
This Injoy bistro table,
shown in Black Pepper, is
a tribute to the terraces of
the world. Combining practicality with
visual flair, the table’s distinctive legs
feature a gentle taper.

3. With a timeless look that marries classic and contemporary, the Panama collection designed by Richard Frinier has a new weave that evokes the rich texture and
warmth of fabric.
casualliving.comMay 201430
Technically, he said, there
is nothing more difficult than
designing and making outdoor
furnishings. “You’re dealing
with the humidity, heat, all the
elements, the maintenance,
the fabrics, the materials – and
for locations everywhere since
conditions can be so differ-
ent and we are worldwide.,”
Dekeyser said. “We are always
searching for inspiration for
how to make these set-ups
different. We plan to have more
accessories like the planters,
more specific fabrics and even
lighting.”
Perhaps one of the best
examples of Dedon’s authentic-
ity and love of its mission is the
company’s catalog – Tour du
Monde. The first one, Dekeyser
said, showed no furniture. It
was about inspiration. Unique
places. Open skies.
It still is. The latest catalog,
Dedon’s fourth, carries on that
same tradition, but shows prod-
uct as well featuring inspira-
tional quotes from Albert Ein-
stein, Shakespeare and Mother
Theresa on its pages. “We took
our furniture and went for one
year on the road,” he said. “We
lived outside with tribes – the
Maasai in Kenya in the Rift
Valley, we lived by lakes, and
on the island of Ibiza,” De-
keyser said. Leaf through the
entire 200-page book and near
the back is the Bobby Board
that can be ordered – a stand-
up paddleboard lacquered in a
bamboo veneer.
“It’s about storytelling,” De-
keyser said. “We’re telling the
story of making great furniture
with great designers. It takes
a long time to build up your
company name, but you can
destroy it all very fast. We have
stayed true to ourselves.”
d e s i g n f e at u r e
Continued
Constructed with expanded aluminum mesh, these Dala lanterns have an open
weave so the light can shine through. The fiber used is created from recycled
food and drink packaging.

4. casualliving.comMay 201432
d e s i g n f e at u r e
Continued
Gloster gears
up stateside
Randy Wells comes to his newly created post of Gloster’s
CEO with a 20-year background in the industry, including
previous roles at Century Furniture, Valtekz Composite Fab-
rics, International Market Centers and Stanley Furniture.
“Our ownership by the Deithelm Keller Group, which is an
extraordinary organization, has a long-term vision of owning
upper-end brands,” Wells said. “Gloster is already part of its
portfolio. Our background is teak. Now with this merger you
have two halves of the same whole. Both companies have
unique designs and unique heritages.”
Wells said he plans to be very involved with the design
direction. “I would not want to be far removed,” he said. “A
president shouldn’t be.”
Only two weeks into the job at the High Point Market,
Wells said he was appreciative of Gloster’s mission and
excited about the recent merger. “This company builds what
they love,” he said. “Gloster has a commitment to design, to
leadership and to quality right down to the way we pack, ship
and design. We own our manufacturing in Indonesia and
Dedon owns theirs in the Philippines. Both brands are utterly
distinct and we will work to protect the identity of each. It is
an incredible time for this new company and for the outdoor
industry.” Gloster’s new CEO in the company’s InterHall showroom at the High Point
Market.
Distinctive lines and dynamic forms highlight the
Wa dining collection by Dedon. Its dramatic
interplay of angles and curves gives the armchair
its running profile – lean, muscular and agile.