Stay Awhile

Robert starts by walking through the space, using quick iPhone snaps like a notebook to plan shots. “I talk a lot with homeowners before I even take a picture to get a feeling of how they use the space and where they like to spend their time,” he says. He asks where they spend their afternoons, where they do work, how their kids use the space, and how the home has evolved or been renovated since they moved in.

The One Park Drive penthouses (2022) by architect Herzog & de Meuron were decorated by Tom Dixon with a combination of custom pieces and vintage furniture like this DS-600 Modular Sofa from de Sede.

“The eye sees the interior completely differently than the camera so it needs some styling and adjustment,” Robert says. “But in general I like to photograph it how a homeowner has it so you really see the character of the people as well.”

Luckily for Robert and his ability to find personality in interiors, he has seen the once-ubiquitous empty, minimalist style lose popularity. “Instead people are showing their characters through the apartment by their weird collections or their artwork,” he says. He sees homeowners and designers eager to take more risks, combining interior design styles and brighter and warmer colors to express themselves.

Robert’s ability to capture a lively space is perhaps best on display in his work for the international luxury Aman Resorts and other hotels and restaurants. “Often it’s the case that I’m photographing while they’re still constructing, and there are workers running around, and there’s a lot of dust. Behind the camera it looks like complete construction work.”

Looking at the resulting photos you would never guess the space was relatively untouched. Robert finds details, like the way sunlight falls across the Japanese wallpaper at Aman New York, to tell the story of a life in the space before it has even happened.

The home of Jules Villbrandt in Berlin is full of the blogger’s collections—like her green Snoopy Lamp for Flos on a Montana Furniture modular sideboard.

“That’s what I enjoy as well—to build up these nice, amazing spaces with the camera,” he says. “Photographing an apartment, a huge space for artists, hotels, or restaurants are all so different. And that’s what I enjoy. Even if it’s completely different interior styles, you can tell the story with your photographs and combine these spaces.”