Inside the Manhattan apartment of designers Timothy Haynes and Kevin Roberts.
Photo: Douglas Friedman; Produced by Cynthia Frank
Timothy Haynes and Kevin Roberts Cultivate Their Own Spectacular Manhattan Residence
A glass-walled penthouse overlooking the Hudson River proves an unexpectedly perfect match for the designers and their standout trove of vintage furnishings and contemporary art
Timothy Haynes (left) and Kevin Roberts stand near a Bridget Riley painting displayed above the living room’s Thassos marble fireplace. Photo: Douglas Friedman; Produced by Cynthia Frank
For several years, New York designers Timothy Haynes and Kevin Roberts were happily ensconced in their expansive loft in a classic SoHo cast-iron building. The duo behind the interiors firm Haynes-Roberts had arrayed the home with works from their extensive art collection as well as a sophisticated mix of antique and vintage furnishings. Everything about the place exuded a stylish, downtown vibe. “We never thought we’d leave,” says Haynes.
Then about a decade ago, while commuting to their firm’s Chelsea studio, they couldn’t help but notice a curvaceous, 15-story apartment tower rising on the edge of the West Village, overlooking the Hudson River. It was developer Ian Schrager’s project 160 Leroy, conceived by Herzog & de Meuron, one of the latest landmarks devised by design superstars along the city’s Far West Side.
“It’s a beautiful piece of architecture, and we watched the whole construction process,” says Haynes, who is an architect. “At one point, I said, ‘Let’s just go look at it.’ ”
At one end of the River Room, a work by Tracey Emin presides over a sitting area furnished with 1940s André Arbus chairs covered in a brown Nancy Corzine silk velvet, 1969 Joaquim Tenreiro chairs upholstered in a Pierre Frey velvet, and French nesting tables from the ’70s. Photo: Douglas Friedman; Produced by Cynthia Frank
Roberts resisted at first, but after some arm-twisting by Haynes he agreed to visit a penthouse that was for sale. Arriving at the building, Roberts was captivated by the peaceful entry courtyard conceived by garden designer Madison Cox. Inside, he was surprised to find that the ceilings were 13 feet high—roughly the same as in their SoHo loft and tall enough to hang large-scale art.
Throw in the breathtaking views afforded by floor-to-ceiling windows, along with visions of walking to the office along Hudson River Park, and Roberts was smitten. In late 2019, he and Haynes listed their loft and made the leap.
The designers inserted steel columns that flank the living room’s Georg Baselitz painting and Joaquim Tenreiro sofa, which is grouped with vintage Mathieu Matégot chairs and a circa-1970 Gabriella Crespi cocktail table. A work by Lynda Benglis hangs on the wall to the left, and a Rebecca Warren ceramic sculpture perches near the windows. Photo: Douglas Friedman; Produced by Cynthia Frank
The penthouse wasn’t perfect, however. Totaling 4,200 square feet, it had a layout suited to a large family, with five bedrooms and a few too many interior walls slicing up the space. Before embarking on any renovations, the couple moved in temporarily to get a feel for the apartment and think about how best to install their art.
Initially they envisioned only modest changes. “We lied to ourselves,” says Haynes. “We said we’d keep the kitchen. We’d keep the wood floors.” In the end, Roberts says, “we gutted everything.”
They moved back out and worked with their contractors to create a dramatically different layout, knocking down walls and doing away with most of the bedrooms. Along the windows facing the Hudson, they kept sight lines open to direct views into a living area they call the River Room.
In the dining room, Haynes-Roberts custom-made the marble-top table and banquette clad in a Dedar velvet, while the chairs are a Garouste & Bonetti design produced by Pierre Basse and covered in a Loro Piana linen. Maison Charles floor lamps from the 1970s frame a George Condo painting, and a Josef Albers geometric abstraction hangs on the adjacent wall. Photo: Douglas Friedman; Produced by Cynthia Frank
Here, beneath an eye-catching grid of reclaimed Verner Panton aluminum ceiling lights, Haynes and Roberts grouped an Axel Vervoordt sofa covered in a Loro Piana linen with vintage gems such as Paul Evans armchairs, a Pierre Cardin cocktail table in lacquer and brass, and hide-upholstered cast-aluminum stools by Philippe Starck. A Glenn Ligon neon wall sculpture—spelling out “If I can’t have love I’ll take sunshine”—glows above the room’s sofa, while a large Markus Lüpertz canvas dominates one wall, set against a dusky brown backdrop.
“It was fun because we have a lot of paintings, sculpture, and furniture we’ve collected over the years that have just been stored away,” says Roberts. “So we said, Let’s use things we’ve never hung and have barely seen.”
“We try to defer to the art. And we don’t like clutter at all—we prefer having negative space”
Kevin Roberts
In the adjacent living room, they installed wide-flange steel columns that lend a sleek, industrial accent and frame a prized painting by Georg Baselitz, while one of Bridget Riley’s Op Art canvases hangs above the white Thassos marble fireplace opposite. Sculptural vintage lounge chairs by Mathieu Matégot and Gilbert Poillerat join a Joaquim Tenreiro sofa around a gleaming Gabriella Crespi brass cocktail table from the 1970s.
A painting by Sterling Ruby overlooks the couple’s platform bed, which is dressed in custom linen bedding by Casa Del Bianco, with Robert Sonneman lamps and Gabriella Crespi tables from the 1970s on either side; the sculpture is by Franz West. Photo: Douglas Friedman; Produced by Cynthia Frank
Despite all of the changes, Roberts and Haynes were intent on not doing too much. Their aim was to allow their trove of art and design to shine, including in their sparsely furnished bedroom, where paintings by Sterling Ruby and Al Held, along with a flamboyant Franz West papier-mâché sculpture, steal the show. “We try to defer to the art,” says Roberts. “And we don’t like clutter at all—we prefer having negative space.”
If they ever had reservations about leaving their SoHo loft, those concerns were put to rest long ago. Now every day when they walk home from the office, says Haynes, “we come in and feel transported.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2024 Collectors Issue under the headline “West Side Story.” Subscribe to the magazine.
Cover: Inside the Manhattan apartment of designers Timothy Haynes and Kevin Roberts.
Photo: Douglas Friedman; Produced by Cynthia Frank
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