roman and williams
roman and williams for waterworks – r. w. atlas hardware — roman and williams
custom wall sconces in cast glass and copper were designed by roman and williams ...
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roman and williams founders robin standefer and stephen alesch, on their redesign of the royalton hotel lobby .
golden globe awards for' tennessee williams' the roman spring of mrs. stone'
gwyneth paltrow tapped roman and williams to design her goop mrkt pop - up shop in manhattan .
click here to see the slide show of roman and williams' s new colections for waterworks .
the wife - and - husband creative team is behind the architectural and interior design firm roman & williams .
roman & williams buildings & interiors is somewhat better than a sharp stick in the eye .
an original roman and williams drawing showing the design for the new restaurant upland in new york city .
standefer and alesch' s east 4th street loft (left); the roman and williams offices (right) .
a rendering of roman and williams’s design for the royalton lobby reveals one of the space’s several sunken seating areas .
roman and williams’ custom - designed furnishings at upland capture the californian spirit and aesthetic of upland. the fi ...
* by tennessee williams, from the roman spring of mrs. stone, copyright ©1950 by tennessee williams. use by permission of new directions publishing corp .
viceroy new york chose local interior designers roman and williams to refashion this venerable mid - town address just off ...
the main parlor of a brooklyn home designed by stephen alesch and robin standefer, the husband - and - wife team behind roman and williams buildings and interiors .
partners in both work and life, robin standefer and stephen alesch founded their firm, roman and williams buildings and interiors, after successful careers as hollywood production designers (portrait by jim morrison). top: the library in the roman and williams–created home of actors ben stiller and christine taylor, featuring
custom wall sconces in cast glass and copper were designed by roman and williams. visit upland at 345 park avenue south at 26th street .
hartshorne plunkard architecture and roman and williams convert an athletic club into a hotel, imaginatively combining modern and historic architectural flourishes for an updated approach to play and respite .
the dutch wanted a fresh take on american classic design, so they hired roman and williams to custom make everything by ...
“the new book by roman and williams reveals the inspiration behind the design duo’s most famous projects but also a deeply passionate and incredibly creative world. ”
a grand procession of pewtered - steel chandeliers with hand - blown glass shades, designed by roman and williams, hang from ...
we interviewed roman and williams principals robin standefer and stephen alesch about emotions and food, how the badlands differ from socal surfer culture, and how to create a relaxed vibe through materials .
the new book by roman and williams reveals the inspiration behind the design duo' s most famous projects but also a deeply passionate and incredibly creative world .
roman and williams gave the master bedroom in the home of actress kate hudson a highly textured, white - on - white scheme. photo by alexia b
i applied online. the process took a week. i interviewed at roman and williams (new york, ny (us) ) in january 2015 .
stephen alesch and robin standefer, co - principals in the architecture and design firm roman and williams, have very definite opinions about the minimalist aesthetic that has prevailed in manhattan for almost two decades .
roman and williams are interested in spaces and objects that people can truly use and things that genuinely last. they are devoted to rebelling against disposability and the common stereotypes of what it means to be “modern” today .
roman and williams buildings and interiors is a new york - based design studio known for their work on hotels, restaurants, retail spaces, homes, and product design. founded in 2002 by principals robin standefer and stephen alesch, the work of roman and williams employs a range of ideas, materials, objects, and references - from the unexpected to the pedigreed - and is instilled with a heightened sense of narrative .
the floors throughout upland are # 1 common white oak. the antique mirror on the back wall was sourced from mirror fair and customized by roman and williams with a white oak frame .
firm principals robin standefer and stephen alesch founded roman and williams buildings and interiors in 2002, naming it after their grandfathers. having worked together for a decade designing sets for significant hollywood films, the pair took their first steps away from the movie biz when they were asked to design a home in los angeles; roman and williams was born and the firm hasn' t looked back since .
stephen alesch and robin standefer, co - principals of the architecture and design firm roman and williams buidlings and interiors, are the first to take a stand against the modernist mandate that has gripped so much of the manhattan skyline .
after completing castilian and new moon, robin and stephen closed their los angeles office and opened roman and williams studio, a full floor in an old shoemaker’s factory on lafayette street, just three blocks from their fourth street home .
the duo behind renowned new york city studio roman and williams give dwell a first look at the interior they designed for upland, a new restaurant from chef justin smillie and acclaimed restaurateur stephen starr .
1. / 2. stephen alesch and robin standefer, the duo behind roman & williams, did the interior of new york’s ace hotel and set the standard for the worldwide haute - lodge trend .
“we created this apartment for someone who is confident and stylish, ” explains robin standefer, a principal of roman and williams. “this is someone who isn’t a slave to trends and embraces an unexpected combination of pieces old and new. ”
in 2013, replay partnered with roman and williams to explore an immersive retail experience, starting with a flagship location that worked to re - establish the brand’s position as the top tier in italian denim and international fashion. as a result of an intensive study of the brand’s history, values, and factory visits exploring the process involved in both denim design and the signature to replay’s products, roman and williams conceptualized a strong vision .
and, as if to add a capstone to their days as up - and - comers, rizzoli published a hefty leather - bound monograph devoted to the pair last month titled “ roman and williams buildings and interiors: things we made. ”
where starck’s 1988 scheme was a see - and - be - seen marvel of conspicuous contemporary design, roman and williams have opted for a sumptuous, laid - back vibe. gone are the french provocateur’s signature tusk tables and famous—or infamous—catwalk - style promenade. instead, there is a monolithic fireplace of striated blackened steel and cozy seating arrangements where craft and materiality are at the fore. “we wanted it to be known simply as the royalton, ” says stephen alesch, who runs roman and williams with partner robin standefer, “not as a starck hotel or a roman and williams hotel. the poor company has been under that thumb for so long. ”
the name roman and williams comes from alesch and standefer’s grandparents and is nostalgic of the calmer perspective that generation had. they deliberately shied away from naming the firm after themselves, considering it too pretentious and self - inflated, attributes they resolved to reject as much as possible. the appreciation for things that have aged and stood the test of time is something roman and williams strive to demonstrate in their work, avoiding the pitfalls of fads and trends that tend to be fleeting, preferring a classic and timeless aesthetic instead .
all the lighting in the restaurant was custom designed by roman and williams. herves descottes from l’observatoire served as lighting designer on the project (who also worked on the firm' s interior lighting for the dutch and lafayette) .
for an actress, her musician husband, and their children, roman and williams completed a total stripdown to stud and redesign of what was fundamentally a drywall box (with good light). designing and coordinating all interior architecture and custom decoration of the project with sheer energy and completely rule of everything mundane .
robin standefer and stephen alesch’s architectural aesthetic has hit the luxury - recession sweet spot, and their firm, roman and williams, is behind many of the new new york spaces so reassuringly steeped in the old. just don’t accuse them of nostalgia .
it was also at doney that williams had his first meeting in 1950 with the legendary roman actress anna magnani, whom he had in mind to play the widow serafina in “the rose tattoo. ”
we paired them with olollo, and together they built a credenza. the sideboard is made from sapele, and features an open storage and display area, two side doors and removable shelves to accommodate a special curation of porcelain by bavarian brand nymphenburg. it is completed with brass hardware and pulls from roman and williams’ rw atlas collection
the roman and williams aesthetic is a richly textured, purposefully nostalgic and largely handmade one: full of massive, dark woods and animal skins and re - purposed industrial materials, like that factory door. it’s the kind of sturdy design that’s meant to last 500 years—if only trends would permit .
the furniture that’s easiest on the planet is the furniture that doesn’t have to be made in the first place. take some tips from roman & williams, and source originals and antiques (there’s a lot that can be accomplished with a great re - upholsterer and restorer) .
credo: “we revere what is genuine; we love to strip things down to their essence and excavate for integrity and character. ” highlight: opening of roman and williams guild ny. notable clients: gwyneth paltrow, ben stiller, kate hudson. ► new york; urltoken
since the husband - and - wife team of mr. alesch and ms. standefer founded the architectural and interior design concern roman & williams in 2002, their aesthetic of a rugged americana lifted from a make - believe past has gained dominion over swaths of new york, especially downtown manhattan and brooklyn .
flawless craftsmanship, smart and elegant design - roman & williams is a visual voice that is creating the look and feel for the new century while rooted in a distinctively american sensibility and history. a great book filled with many wonderful ideas that you can bring into your own home .
new york–based roman and williams was founded in 1998 by hollywood set designers robin standefer and stephen alesch. the pair began by designing celebrity residences. in 2009, the firm completed the award–winning ace and standard hotels in new york as well as notable residential building at 211 elizabeth street. t…
another much - anticipated opening was the thirty - story viceroy hotel on 57th street in new york city, a roman and williams - designed building from the ground - up with bespoke interiors and sweeping views of central park, featuring striking restaurant kingside and a 29th floor bar, the roof .
as the personal residence of roman and williams' principals robin standefer and stephen alesch, the 4th street loft was converted from an industrial work space into an iconic downtown new york city residence that has been published in design magazines across the globe and serves as a source of inspiration for many .
by now an international celebrity, williams made regular appearances in the roman society papers. yet his fame was still not such as to prevent him from engaging in another activity of which rome offered manifold new possibilities: cruising .
from its high - gloss black floors to its carefully constructed glass enclosed library, the loft stands as a hallmark roman and williams design, expressing the firm' s commitment to the use of natural materials, expert craftsmanship, and vintage furnishings and objects. it is a perfect merging of their work and life and represents their inimitable style .
most recently, roman and williams has created their most personal work to date: roman and williams guild ny. showcasing their collection of original furniture, lighting, and accessories designed by the firm, as well as items collected from the workshops of the world' s best artisans, the space is home also to celebrated french cafe la mercerie, helmed by chef marie - aude rose. it is a modern - day guild, a guild of the senses that gathers the best of everything the firm makes and loves, and helps others to do the same for themselves .
for the latest in its series of design dialogues, the contemporary design magazine surface joined up with 1stdibs to present a rousing panel discussion between stephen alesch and robin standefer, the co - founders of much - in - demand design firm roman and williams, and dennis freedman, passionate collector and creative director of barneys new york .
williams wasn’t alone in this assessment. his social circle at the time included the poet frederic prokosch, truman capote, “that unhappy young egoist gore vidal” and a number of other american writers and artists who, like williams, were gay or bisexual, and had found in rome a degree of creative and personal freedom unheard of back home. they also tended to share another of williams’s well - known traits: a love of drink .
roman and williams strives to create projects which consistently find the tension between spontaneity and rigor, refinement and rebellion, and past and future. the firm was founded by stephen alesch and robin standefer as a vehicle to pursue these dichotomies and reflect their diverse aesthetic interests. from the world of film they cultivated a feel for specificity and storytelling, which the pair soon employed designing residences for notable personalities such as ben stiller, kate hudson and gwyneth paltrow .
roman and williams’ collection of work has been honored and recognized with numerous awards and accolades throughout the years, including the lawrence israel award and three consecutive years as members of the prestigious ad 100. most notably, in 2014 the firm received america’s highest honor for achievement in design, the smithsonian’s national design award for excellence in interior design .
on the site of the former pearl brewery in san antonio design firm roman and williams - with their passionate and rigorous approach to historic architecture - have transformed a 19th century brewhouse into hotel emma, an extraordinary 146 - room boutique hotel with three inventive culinary venues that will richen and diversify the options in the area. located near the northern end of the san antonio river walk, in an already lively district with an outdoor amphitheater and a year - round farmer’s market, hotel emma serves as the magnificent focal point of the surrounding pearl neighborhood and a connection to its craft past. the hotel represents the first collaboration between silver ventures and design firm roman and williams .
if one was wondering who began the trend of naming hipster brands after grandfathers — justin timberlake’s fashion label, william rast; robbie williams’s brand, farrell; gabriel stulman’s restaurant joseph leonard — one might cast blame on roman alesch and william winters, the couple’s maternal grandfathers .
new york–based roman and williams was founded in 1998 by hollywood set designers robin standefer and stephen alesch. the pair began by designing celebrity residences. in 2009, the firm completed the award–winning ace and standard hotels in new york as well as notable residential building at 211 elizabeth street. their lauded projects include the dutch and lafayette with chef andrew carmellini, the freehand hotel in miami, the thirty - story viceroy hotel in new york, and a product line with waterworks and lalique. recent projects include an eatery for facebook, a restaurant with alain ducasse, and the news room and set for huffington post live. each roman and williams project demonstrates a comprehensive design vision, marking their work as a unique user experience .
with the union of forward - thinking minds, ben weprin of aj capital partners, fellow chicagoan john pritzker, and roman and williams team, the aim was to make the c. a. a into a new hotel and locale that would regain new life, while honoring a long - standing history within its home city .
roman and williams have always implemented their signature style and business sense in the work they produce together. their creative work is typically done at night, which alesch calls the “psychic quietest” time of the day. working from their residences in manhattan and montauk, respectively, they consider their creative marriage a very critical aspect of their success .
roman and williams’s moment officially began in the fall of 2009, when a pair of ultrachic new york hotels designed by the husband - and - wife partnership of stephen alesch and robin standefer opened more or less simultaneously. between them, the standard and the ace hotel generated a level of buzz not seen since the early - 1990s hotel reign of philippe starck .
others call their work inauthentic, which is something roman & williams actually embrace. “authenticity is over - fetishized, ” mr. alesch said. “everything is a set. the first fire inside a cave was a set with buffalo furs all around it. ”
roman and williams' projects strive to consistently find the tension between spontaneity and rigor, refinement and rebellion, and past and future. spanning paris to tokyo, among them: ace hotel new york, the boom boom boom room and the standard highline, la rotonde de la muette, freehand hotels, and le coucou. in a project of cultural and civic significance, the firm has been award the commission to re - design the british galleries at the metropolitan museum of art .
honors them with the prestigious lawrence israel prize. the award, given each year to an individual or firm whose projects provide inspiration for fit’s students, will be presented tonight at fit’s katie murphy amphitheatre, accompanied by a talk by roman + williams co - founders robin standefer and stephen alesch .
the sideboard is made from sapele, a subtly grained african wood similar to mahogany, and features an open storage and display area, two side doors and removable shelves to accommodate a special curation of porcelain by bavarian brand nymphenburg. the credenza is completed with custom brass hardware, brass pulls from roman and williams’ rw atlas collection, and black leather - lined drawers that perfectly complement the delicate nymphenburg tableware .
never limited by what they designed last, the roman and williams aesthetic is constantly evolving, reflecting the diverse interests and profound curiosities of the firm’s principals, a practice that has earned them many devoted followers and accolades, including being honorees of the architectural digest top 100 since 2011. the result is an oeuvre of instant classics — projects that transcend architecture and interiors and rise to the level of cultural polemics .
but after meeting with aaron sittig, facebook’s charismatic bowtie - loving product architect, roman & williams agreed to the project, turning a soulless 1980s building into a mess hall with heavy wooden rafters, old schoolroom benches and arrows stenciled on the floor that guide employees to buffets, a silicon valley heorot .
when invited to design a collection of plumbing fittings and accessories as well as an accompanying tile line for waterworks, the partners at the new york city firm roman and williams buildings and interiors began with a surprising objective in mind. “nondecorative was our goal out of the gate, ” says stephen alesch, who heads the company with his wife, robin standefer .
following a career as hollywood production designers, stephen alesch and robin standefer founded roman and williams buildings and interiors in 2002. the new york firm’s scope includes buildings, interior design, and product lines, where they place a premium on such aesthetic juxtapositions as high / low and spare / baroque. former surfing magazine editor jamie brisick writes for the new york times and details, and has authored two books, including have board will travel. actor and film director / producer ben stiller is a prolific talent. standefer and alesch did the production design for zoolander and duplex and designed his homes .
to complete the r. w. atlas plumbing, tile, and lighting collections, roman and williams has created twenty - two unique pieces of hardware. from cabinet knobs and handles to towel bars and latches, the hardware is distinctive for its exceptional details and refined touch, creating a uniquely luxurious hand feel. the substantial pieces feature a slotted screw, with carefully placed knurling and noticeably intricate base details. no element is too insignificant for consideration .
following a career as hollywood production designers, stephen alesch and robin standefer founded roman and williams buildings and interiors in 2002. the new york firm' s scope includes buildings, interior design, and product lines, where they place a premium on such aesthetic juxtapositions as high / low and spare / baroque. former surfing magazine editor jamie brisick writes for the new york times and details, and has authored two books, including have board will travel. actor and film director / producer ben stiller is a prolific talent. standefer and alesch did the production design for zoolander and duplex and designed his homes .
roman and williams designed the interiors of upland in new york city, a restaurant from chef justin smillie (formerly of il buco alimentari) and his partner, acclaimed restaurateur stephen starr. named after the southern california town where chef smillie was born, upland opened on october 28, 2014, and offers california - inspired cuisine in manhattan' s burgeoning nomad district, on park avenue and east 26th street .
for their tenth anniversary, the design studio roman and williams buildings and interiors presents projects that blend the spirit of our collective history with a modernist edge. roman and williams’s style honors craftsmanship, the use of natural materials, and the overlooked in unexpected ways. their understated, glamorous sensibility is imparted in manhattan’s ace hotel interiors and restaurant the breslin, the standard hotel, with its iconic boom boom room, and the royalton lobby. for such popular restaurants as the dutch, the duo created environments with textured backdrops that reference a rich past with a contemporary sensibility. their innovative work has captured the attention of firms such as facebook—they recently completed its campus food hall—and their residences for celebrities such as ben stiller and gwyneth paltrow are equally imaginative. this book surveys the firm’s prestige projects, presented with alesch’s architectural hand drawings and sketches and detailed views. also included is their loft and montauk home, which serve as design laboratories, and a collection of furnishings and fixtures .
robin standefer and stephen alesch founded roman and williams buildings and interiors in new york city in 2002. having worked together for a decade designing sets for significant hollywood films prior to establishing their firm, standefer and alesch have forged an ability to create projects without boundaries or borders, employing a range of ideas, materials, objects, and references — from the unexpected to the pedigreed to the mundane — and, through the lens of their own singular viewpoint, create alchemy .
, waterworks’ ceo. “together with roman and williams, we went to great lengths to create fittings and tile that combine function with a profound sense of beauty and refinement. this product marries a heritage of great american design perspective with decades of experience engineering and producing the highest quality products. throughout the process, we were inspired by the idea of utilitarian objects that are made exceptionally well and that work beautifully for generations, and this is our hope for r. w. atlas and district tile. ”
but just a decade since its founding, roman & williams is looking to cash in. “we’re not getting any younger, ” ms. standefer said the other day. the company’s most recent projects have jettisoned the scruffy bohemianism of places like the ace hotel for the offices of hip corporate america .
designers stephen alesch and robin standefer, the husband and wife team who head roman and williams firm, have provided the interior decorations for such well - known venues as the standard hotel, (and its top floor hot spot, the boom boom room), the ace hotel, and countless other projects. the versatile couple recently designed the john dory oyster bar at the ace hotel, and we interviewed them to see how their activities together have shaped their sexy, chic aesthetic :
there is an east coast meets west coast vibe to what we do, ” says steven alesch, a wisconsin - born, l. a. - trained, surf - loving architect who—along with his wife, robin standefer, a former hollywood production designer raised in new york—makes up one half of the in demand and critically acclaimed design duo roman and williams .
they had little use for the ache of the new. “i don’t want to be tabula rasa, ” she says. at the same time, they don’t want to be known for a particular style either: roman and williams will do whatever they’re hired to do, whatever makes sense for the film the client sees himself (and his future customers) in .
the years after his “golden time” in rome were not particularly kind to williams. much of his later work was ignored by the public and panned by critics. many close friends died prematurely, including merlo and magnani, who succumbed to cancer, he in 1963 and she in 1973. returning with decreasing frequency to the italian capital, williams sank into depression and drug use, which contributed to his own death in 1983 .
inspired by denim’s connection to rebels of all kinds, from hollywood to the homestead, the stage was a product of roman and williams’ principals calling upon their own deep - rooted experience in set design and art direction in the film industry. they transformed a concept of a soundstage, into a store, showcasing the storied sets with equipment and back - of - house scenes that embody the world of filmmaking .
for their tenth anniversary, the design studio roman and williams buildings and interiors presents projects that blend the spirit of our collective history with a modernist edge. roman and williams' s style honors craftsmanship, the use of natural materials, and the overlooked in unexpected ways. their understated, glamorous sensibility is imparted in manhattan' s ace hotel interiors and restaurant the breslin, the standard hotel, with its iconic boom boom room, and the royalton lobby. for such popular restaurants as the dutch, the duo created environments with textured backdrops that reference a rich past with a contemporary sensibility. their innovative work has captured the attention of firms such as facebook - - they recently completed its campus food hall - - and their residences for celebrities such as ben stiller and gwyneth paltrow are equally imaginative. this book surveys the firm' s prestige projects, presented with alesch' s architectural hand drawings and sketches and detailed views. also included is their loft and montauk home, which serve as design laboratories, and a collection of furnishings and fixtures .
ever wish you could sneak a peek at gwyneth paltrow’s new york apartment? this holiday season, you can get a pretty good idea of what it’s like. just drop by the actress’s goop mrkt pop - up in columbus circle’s time warner center to check out paltrow’s home away from home, expertly realized by city slicker firm roman and williams .
standefer remarks: “in our relationship and us working together, we sometimes contradict each other and contrast and there’s voltage between us and it creates sometimes a sense of authenticity because it’s not just about branding or marketing. it’s just about a sense of truth and what you love. ” she went on to say, “i see other couples and i think, okay, what do they talk about, because we’re always talking about that third thing, which is that thing we’re making in roman and williams … life and art for us are one kind of cycle together. “
this meeting would prove the beginning of a decades - long collaboration and friendship that would profoundly influence both of their lives. williams and magnani, both temperamental artists who were fearless in their determination to live unconventional lives, had a deep understanding of each other, and beyond the roles he explicitly wrote for her, from 1950 on, williams’s female characters began to resemble magnani: passionate, sexually vital, complicated and self - confident .
throughout the 1950s, williams, merlo and magnani spent countless nights on her terrace above the piazza minerva overlooking the pantheon and at fashionable venues like rosati, which is still a pleasant place to people - watch over negronis .
unsurprisingly, calderwood shares roman and williams’s quasi - academic mystical design language. “narrative is a very, very important word both for us and them. we like to explore and celebrate a narrative in terms of an item or object, ” he says. “we share a mutual interest in kind of manufacturing techniques and materiality and an appreciation for a sense of history but not being slavish to an absolute re - creation. it hopefully feels like it was collected and curated over time, has a sort of residual feeling. ”
and if one was wondering whom to thank for turning hotel lobbies into communal hives for high - tech movers (see the ace hotel), for the renaissance of tile work (the standard, high line) and for the popularization of once - shunned casement windows (everywhere), a thank - you note could be sent to roman & williams’s sixth - floor office on lafayette street .
the space or project can dictate the sources. each has its own distinctive personality—whether it’s gwyneth paltrow’s home or le coucou here in new york, there’s a story within each space we create and that narrative leads us to explore a variety of sources. as we seek and find for roman and williams guild ny we’re thinking about how we live and the objects we want to be surrounded by daily. we’re ultimately sharing our way of seeing and we always try to inspire people to do the same .
at a recent meeting at roman & william’s neo - industrial offices, mr. alesch wandered in and out of the conference room while ms. standefer and andrew carmellini, a restaurateur, debated where to hang succulents in his new restaurant .
much of the appeal of roman & williams lies in ms. standefer and mr. alesch themselves. if they create spaces in which one can star in a dream role — bohemian entrepreneur at the ace hotel, latter - day rat pack at the standard’s boom boom room, hungry schoolboy at the dutch — clients similarly buy into the couple as an idealized version of the husband - and - wife team .
in some ways the two roman and williams interiors couldn’t be more different—“a silk high heel and a big muddy boot, ” according to alesch, the firm’s de facto architect, draftsman, and furniture designer (standefer could be considered its creative director). the standard has a throwback polish, evoking milanese bachelor pads and the golden age of railway travel. the ace is moodier, with salvaged - wood floors, post - and - beam ceilings, and pendant lamps fashioned from plumbing joints. but both share a kitsch - free nostalgia—allusive, paradoxically modern - feeling, and resonantly cool .
so they started a “buildings and interiors” firm called roman and williams (neither is a registered architect, though alesch trained as one), named, with the same create - a - legacy ethic that has come to mark everything they do, after their maternal grandfathers. in 2004, in the midst of doing a los angeles house for kate hudson, they quit their rental in silver lake and moved back to the loft they owned in noho .
the collaboration started three years ago when peter sallick, the ceo of waterworks, was flipping through a magazine and came across images of roman and williams’s interiors. at the time, alesch and standefer had just wrapped up manhattan’s standard and ace hotels, hip spots that cemented their firm’s reputation for warm, inviting rooms layered with tough, textural materials that evoke an immediate sense of history. “the environments they created conveyed something i had an emotional, impulsive connection to, ” sallick recalls .
black - pipe flanges, filament bulbs, vintage turntables, taxidermy and other old - timey curios — these industrial - chic tropes have come to signify good taste today, and much of it can be traced to mr. alesch, 46, and ms. standefer, 47. it is a world in which the newer the space, the older it looks. call it the benjamin button school of design, with roman & williams as its headmasters .
alesch and standefer, unsurprisingly, are workaholics, with a firm named after his grandfather roman, a painter, and her grandfather william, a jeweler. “hardworking guys, working class, ” says standefer. “old school, money under the mattress. ”
williams’s first place of residence was a top - floor room at the ambasciatori palace, a grand neo - renaissance hotel along the tree - lined via veneto. today, like many of williams’s former haunts, both the boulevard and the hotel feel somewhat past their prime. via veneto is still upscale, but its touristy trattorias and chain hotels would be sadly ill - fitted to its former incarnation as the glorious main drag of “la dolce vita, ” the 1960 federico fellini classic. still, despite its depressing subterranean breakfast buffet, the ambasciatori retains a faded elegance that makes it easy to imagine the looks of disdain williams recalls receiving when, on his second night in the city, he brought home a raggedly dressed roman teenager whom he calls “raffaelo” in his memoirs .
for williams, rome offered freedom — an escape from the puritanism that plagued his life back home. in a 1949 letter to his publisher, jay laughlin, williams recounted a dinner with ingrid bergman and roberto rossellini shortly after the hollywood star and the italian director had begun their highly publicized collaboration and extramarital affair. their indifference to the scandal, he wrote, “is very beautiful and should have a salutary affect on discrediting those infantile moralists that make it so hard for anyone to do honest work and live honestly in the states. ”
roman and williams has added lighting to its r. w. atlas housewares for waterworks with two collections, spunflower and cupper. robin standefer, a founder of roman and williams, described the burnished nickel and brass lights as “fairly muscular and sturdy, but with a fine tactility. ” in all, there are two pendants, two sconces and a chandelier, any of which can be described as industrial. but a closer look reveals some frills. the spunflower pendant, for instance, has three tiers of milky white glass crowned with a rim of metal with tiny perforations. ms. standefer said these dots would temper any harshness. the quality of illumination in industrial fixtures is often “pure, tough and authentic, ” she added, “but a light still has to be soft and beautiful. ” prices range from $ 1, 200 to $ 3, 500. the cupper ceiling - mounted four - light pendant, shown, is $ 3, 500. information: 800 - 899 - 6757 or waterworks. com .
roman and williams (who did the redesign of the royalton as well as the interiors of the standard hotel and its restaurant, the standard grill) are currently at work on two other spaces in the ace — a restaurant called the breslin, which will be run by the spotted pig’s ken friedman and april bloomfield, and a branch of portland’s stumptown coffee (for which the designers chose a 1960s milanese look). when both open in the fall, this still - scruffy neighborhood won’t know what hit it .
the breslin restaurant in new york. photo by katie sokoler. alesch and standefer founded roman + williams in 2002, after years of working on set designs for the likes of martin scorcese. they’ve brought that filmic sensibility to hotspots across the city, including the royalton hotel, andres balazs’ standard hotel, and the ace hotel—iconic spots with a timeless style that students are likely to study well into the future. the event begins at 6 pm and is free and open to the public, with no reservations required .
in late january 1948, tennessee williams arrived for the first time in rome, a city that the playwright, then 37, would quickly call “the capitol of my heart. ” after more than a decade toiling in poverty and obscurity, williams had been catapulted to national fame three years earlier when his loosely autobiographical “memory play, ” “the glass menagerie, ” became an instant critical and commercial hit. its follow - up, “a streetcar named desire, ” opened in 1947 to packed broadway houses and rave reviews, cementing williams’s position as a major figure in the american theater establishment. four months later, he set out for europe .
much like its inhabitants, new york city' s buildings are famed for their directness. from the skyscrapers of manhattan to the brownstones of brooklyn, to postcard favorites such as the flatiron building, the city is populated with bold residential and commercial architecture, in every conceivable style. the city was shaped by a who' s who of architecture' s past three centuries, and it continues, not without some controversy, to be a showcase for cutting - edge modernism. all things considered, when given the opportunity to design a multi - unit residence in the nolita neighborhood, new york city - based roman and williams buildings and interiors felt the weight of expectation upon them .
to be able to put a building on a site in new york city is a big honor ,
says robin standefer, a native new yorker and partner in charge with stephen alesch at roman and williams .
i am hoping this building outlasts us .
once he got standefer on the phone, it didn’t take long for him to be convinced that roman and williams was a perfect match for waterworks. “i heard robin tell a story about how when they’re conceiving a project, they’re reflecting on and reinterpreting common memories and experiences, ” sallick says. “this project adhered to that. while the designs aren’t specific to any one historical period, they have elements we all respond to, for reasons that are associated with our pasts. ”
a long, railroad apartment in new york city’s noho is the incubator for some of the most influential interiors in america. “it was a rabbit warren of drywall and old boxes when we got it in 1997, ” says stephen alesch, principal with his wife robin standefer in roman & williams buildings and interiors, the firm that famously started an irresistible, can’t - put - a - finger - on - what - it - is style that’s a combination of louche and livable .
we knew they would be busy putting the finishing touches to their interiors for the chicago athletic association hotel (see w * 196), but we had to ask: would roman and williams, the creative duo behind the wave of industrial - edged interiors that have taken over the world and the holders of a prestigious 2014 cooper - hewitt museum design award, be so kind as to contribute to our handmade project? they said they would .
after a brief, disappointing stopover in france (“i found nothing very good about paris but the quality of the whores, ” williams wrote his friend and longtime collaborator elia kazan), rome won him over instantly .
on a recent tuesday evening, the sprawling restaurant felt like the set of one of those garry marshall ensemble romantic comedies. it’s the place where ashton and julia would eat on their magical first date. like the dutch, one of mr. carmellini’s other restaurants, lafayette was designed by roman & williams, the husband - and - wife firm behind the ace hotel as well as the sets of movies like zoolander and addicted to love. they are masters of golden - glow maximalism .
the kitchen area—near and dear to paltrow’s heart—looks sleek and sophisticated in a palette of gray, black, and brass .
2017 will mark the opening of a project that is as unique in the roman and williams portfolio as it is in the pantheon of new york city buildings: a luxury building near the high line, clad in jade green terra cotta with interiors and exteriors designed for jds / largo from the ground - up. the fitzroy is already being hailed as the vanguard of a movement towards the use of traditional, hand - made materials that express a new luxury, whose trademark is disciplined craft and quality .
roman & williams, the design firm founded by robin standefer and stephen alesch, won fame for its scene - setting interiors for manhattan’s trendy ace and standard hotels, as well as the restaurants, bars and cafes within them. now it’s moved on to product design, with bath fittings for waterworks. the r. w. atlas collection, which was inspired in part by a 1930s leica camera and by an old microscope displayed in the designers’ offices, has a strong industrial sensibility; it would look at home in any vintage factory setting .
rosati (piazza del popolo 5; urltoken) was one of williams’s favorite drinking spots and is still a great place to people - watch over negronis, which cost €15 at the table, but just €5 at the bar .
in san antonio, design studio roman and williams has applied its signature rugged yet refined aesthetic to a former 19th - century brewery reborn as the inviting hotel emma. thick concrete beams, exposed pipes, and leftover machinery give the space an industrial cool that’s softened by vintage leather sofas, lively tilework floors, and loads of antique carpets. the magic is in the mix, according to the firm’s principals, robin standefer and stephen alesch: “this was a place where luxury met the primitive and untamable on the edge of the prairie, and we think it still holds that energy. ” rooms from $ 325 / night; urltoken
robin standefer and stephen alesch of roman and williams are so busy designing spaces for new yorkers to have fun in that they rarely get to have a cocktail there once they’re finished, leaving the ace hotel lobby (and the breslin) and the boom boom room at the standard hotel to the players. but on weekends, their home in montauk, n. y. , becomes the center of a rolling house party, where the food and friends are as exquisitely arranged — yet seemingly haphazard — as their décor. here, the bon vivant masters of tableaux vivants are at their best .
in 2015 roman and williams completed concept work for wework and finished interior work on an unparalleled landmark american building, the chicago athletic association in chicago, for client john pritzker. later in the year they proudly announced the transformation of a 19th century san antonio brewhouse into hotel emma. in paris, the firm is working closely with the renowned costes family to design and introduce a restaurant in the 16th arrondissement and, in another major coup, they were selected as the designers for a global food market at pier 57 on manhattan' s west side, with renowned food writer and television journalist anthony bourdain. in 2016 their impact on the business landscape was marked by robin and stephen' s selection for the fast company
most creative people in business
list. their engagement in projects of cultural and civic significance is also apparent in their recently announced collaboration with the metropolitan museum of art for the re - design of the british galleries. in this rare and competitive commission roman and williams are working with the met to create a spectacular, narrative - rich, and profoundly sympathetic setting for the works of art, telling the highly relevant story of creativity in britain' s entrepreneurial society .
alesch and standefer continue to stay true to their principals and can be skeptical of corporate clients who do not immediately respect their vision. they are very selective of who they choose to work with; the key being their joint vision of wanting to create something great and original. in honor of their 10th anniversary, roman and williams have released a book chronicling a decade’s worth of work and achievements. the book, published by rizzoli, is entitled things we love, a mantra often used by the pair, showing just how important their personal touch is in all of the work they produce .
these places, as well as many others—including the top of the standard and the ace hotel in new york, la rotonde de la muette in paris, and the freehand hotels in miami, chicago, and los angeles—are the brain children of new york–based interior design firm roman and williams. founded in 2002 by robin standefer and stephen alesch (a duo who in person are as charismatic, energetic, and appealing as their work suggests), the firm has become one of the most sought - after and admired in the industry, with a list of accolades that includes a national design award and, most recently, a james beard award (for le coucou, which was named best new restaurant, 2017) .
2010 marked the opening of roman and williams’ first ground - up building at 211 elizabeth street in manhattan, with the building and interiors for this residential development earning the firm a palladio award. shortly afterward they designed and opened the dutch, the first of two restaurant collaborations with andrew carmellini, followed by the popular lafayette. the firm was also awarded a commission by facebook to design their most prominent indoor - outdoor dining hub for the entire campus, exploring working environments with the opening of a social and communal food hall at the company’s headquarters in silicon valley .
just west of lake michigan, and centered upon millennium park, the chicago athletic association reawakens the dormant 1893 venetian gothic building originally designed by henry ives cobb, a building boasting more than a century’s age. a quintessential roman and williams project, the chicago athletic association hosts a story that couldn’t be resisted. originally founded by a collection of families synonymous with american sport and athletic commerce (such as wrigley, comiskey, and spalding) and architecturally developed during the columbian exposition, the c. a. a. was almost lost to plans of demolition in 1997 - - all but save the original façade.
roman and williams buildings and interiors is a manhattan-based american design firm founded by robin standefer and stephen alesch in 2002 . recipients of a 2014 cooper hewitt national design award for interior design , roman and williams has been called " one of the most sought-after design outfits " by w magazine and was named one of america ’s 50 most influential designers by fast company in 2011 . known for what the wall street journal has named " slow design , " with its emphasis on craft and substance , the firm undertakes building design , interior design , branding , as well as the design of custom furniture , lighting , and plumbing fittings and fixtures . 
roman and williams buildings and interiors is a manhattan-based american design firm founded by robin standefer and stephen alesch in 2002. recipients of a 2014 cooper hewitt national design award for interior design, roman and williams has been called " one of the most sought-after design outfits " by w magazine and was named one of america ’s 50 most influential designers by fast company in 2011. known for what the wall street journal has named " slow design, " with its emphasis on craft and substance, the firm undertakes building design, interior design, branding, as well as the design of custom furniture, lighting, and plumbing fittings and fixtures.
roman and williams buildings and interiors is a manhattan-based american design firm founded by robin standefer and stephen alesch in 2002. recipients of a 2014 cooper hewitt national design award for interior design, roman and williams has been called " one of the most sought-after design outfits " by w magazine and was named one of america ’s 50 most influential designers by fast company in 2011. known for what the wall street journal has named " slow design, " with its emphasis on craft and substance, the firm undertakes building design, interior design, branding, as well as the design of custom furniture, lighting, and plumbing fittings and fixtures.