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Mar 14, 2024

Why Patrick Dempsey Loves Porsches and Old Houses

By Katie Schultz “Now, racing is all about weight and the quality of the material. And that’s where we begin,” Patrick Dempsey declared on a small stage at an event promoting the release of his

By Katie Schultz

“Now, racing is all about weight and the quality of the material. And that’s where we begin,” Patrick Dempsey declared on a small stage at an event promoting the release of his limited edition eyewear line with Porsche Design on Friday night. “The structural engineering in a race car is the same for the glasses,” said the star before giving an enthusiastic in-depth explanation about the balance of flexibility and rigidity offered by the carbon fiber and steel that make up the frames. The collaboration includes a pair of eyeglasses and a pair of sunglasses, each offered in two colors with a run of only 1,500 copies each.

Most iconically known for his role as Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd for 11 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, Dempsey is a longtime fan of Porsche, auto racing, and cars in general. The actor started racing competitively in 2004 and owns his own racing team, Dempsey-Proton Racing. “My father was a traveling salesman. And on Friday nights, he’d bring me back Matchboxes. That’s where my love of cars came from,” he explained. “Now…the Matchboxes are a bit bigger.”

The actor, who has roles in the upcoming Michael Mann–helmed Ferrari and an Eli Roth horror movie called Thanksgiving, bought his first Porsche—a 356 cabriolet—when he was fresh from his breakout role in Can’t Buy Me Love in 1987. “I think I made $10,000 on the movie,” he says from the stage. “And it was a lot of money for me at that time. I thought I was going to retire on that,” he laughs. When he called the car’s owner, she said it would run him $9,000. “I’m like, ‘I’ll be right over,’” the Enchanted star recalls. To this day, the car is one of his most prized possessions.

Dempsey makes it clear that he appreciates good design, whether it takes the form of a car, a pair of glasses, or a house. At his Porsche Design eyewear event, AD sat down with him to discuss all of the above.

AD: What city do you live in primarily?

Patrick Dempsey: Malibu. And I have a place in Maine and a place in the mountains, in [Utah’s] Deer Valley.

How would you describe the style of your home in one sentence?

Well, we’re remodeling right now [in Malibu], so I would say that’s in chaos, but I’ve always loved architecture since I was a little kid. I think it started with Legos. I got Legos and I would always build houses. And my mother and father restored [the house where] I grew up in Maine. I think my love for construction and the smell of construction and design started there.

[My home in] Maine is much more traditional. I’ve done a number of homes. I started with a very small one-bedroom, fixed it up, and moved on. I love design. It’s hard—I have different styles depending on where [I am]. I think a midcentury modern in California really works. Maine is a stone home, which is very practical because of the environment. And then in the mountains, it’s like a ski chalet, and it was fun to redo the interior on that.

Previously, Dempsey lived in the Frank Gehry–designed Tin House in Malibu, which AD toured in 2014. (Dempsey sold the home in 2015.)

What is one kitchen item you use every single day?

Coffee maker.

What is your favorite gadget or appliance?

Pizza oven.

What is your bedtime ritual?

It's not consistent, but I like to listen to books on tape. It’s almost like when you’re a kid. So I’ll find a book, especially if I’m on location and have a time change or if I’m in Europe. That really helps me sort of visualize and go off to sleep.

What is your ideal bedding setup?

I was with Beautyrest for a really long time and their Black series is really good. And we have one bed that’s very special, but everybody in the family fights over it. That’s in the guest room.

Which room in your house is your favorite and why?

The outside patio—just to be outside. It’s a view of the canyon and it just gets great light all day long. I really love [designing outdoor rooms]. I think if I were to start over, being a landscape architect would be something I’d really get into.

Describe one item in your home that you brought back from a trip.

Well, what’s really good is I have the great opportunity to travel around the world, so I always try to find something [like] a piece of art that is local to the country or region that I’m in. When I came back from Rome, [I brought] a sculpture of Marcus Aurelius that was hand-carved in Italy. I try to bring something and I collect them so that each trip has something that reminds me of that experience.

What object in your home has extra sentimental value?

Well, the car is one. We talked about the 356, and that’s a piece of architecture, really, [with a] design that is functional. And I think that would probably be the 356. I don’t think my wife would agree with me, but…yeah, and I’ve been collecting antiques since I was a little kid, so I’ve kept a lot of those.

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Katherine McLaughlin

What is the oldest thing that you own in your house?

A piece of Dutch furniture probably is the oldest piece I have. It’s an armoire and two chairs that are probably, God, late-17th century, so it’d be 1675, something like that. [Since] I first started [out], I’ve been collecting a lot of antiques, furniture, and things like that. And those I keep mostly in Maine.

And what is the newest thing in your house?

Eames chair—the chair. Vintage, which is great. My wife got it for me for Christmas and I love that chair.

Do you have a room or area that serves an unusual purpose?

The steamer. I think the steam in my shower is—it’s not a room, but that’s part of my morning ritual. I love having a steam shower.

What would you change about your home if you could only choose one thing?

Well, I’m in the process of changing the color, yes, so that would be one. And kitchens are really fun to play with, the design of the kitchen, because that’s the hub. I would like to open it up a little bit more.

[The most exciting part of renovating is] having the vision. You have your Pinterest and you sort of get your mood board and then you try to execute that. Maine is an older home and it was basically a home that needed restoration. And you become a caretaker; you’re a custodian for a period in time, especially the older homes. And it’s bringing them back to life. That, to me, is the most rewarding.