Timothy Haynes and Kevin Roberts dubbed a living area of their Manhattan apartment the River Room, where they hung a large Markus Lüpertz canvas against a deep brown paint from Farrow & Ball and mounted a neon text sculpture by Glenn Ligon behind an Axel Vervoordt sofa covered in a Loro Piana linen. The couple, founders of the interiors firm Haynes-Roberts, installed Verner Panton aluminum lights above the sitting area, which also features vintage chairs by Paul Evans and stools by Philippe Starck as well as a circa-1950 Charlotte Perriand stool around a Pierre Cardin cocktail table from the ’70s.

The dynamic characters conjured by German artist Markus Lüpertz—including the subject of Männer ohne Frauen. Parsifal (1993)—seem to exist in
a parallel universe where suggestive power meets archaic energy. “Lüpertz has radically changed his style over the years,” notes Haynes. “In the past decade, he’s looked at visions of Arcadia, mythology, and the pastoral concept of bliss.” 

Timothy Haynes (left) and Kevin Roberts stand near a Bridget Riley painting displayed above the living room’s Thassos marble fireplace.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Designer Kevin Roberts and architect Timothy Haynes collect works by artist Sterling Ruby, whose multidisciplinary practice explores societal decay. “There’s a real dedication and integrity in each body of work,” says Haynes. This bold 2024 piece, Turbine. Tyger Tyger Burning Bright., illustrates Ruby’s interest in abstraction, with graffiti-esque gestures that challenge notions of beauty, power, and the human condition.

The subject of a recent solo show at David Zwirner’s L.A. outpost, Franz West devised otherworldly objects, like Pleonasme (Pleonasm) (1999), by manipulating everyday materials such as papier-mâché, plastic, and glue.
“The way he presented his work casually but formally is extraordinary,” says Haynes. 

The primary bath features a custom metallized tub and a Roger Tallon stool, plus a Günther Förg painting mounted on one of the honed Dolomiti marble walls.

Late furniture designer Joaquim Tenreiro, a pioneer of midcentury-modern Brazilian craftsmanship, utilized the country’s native wood varieties to conceive innovative pieces like this chair, rendered in rosewood. “The combination of simplicity and organic minimalism in his work is very compelling,” states Haynes.