Roman and Williams

Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors is a Manhattan-based American design firm, founded by Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch in 2002.^[1] The firm undertakes building design, interior design, and branding, as well as the design of custom furniture, lighting, and plumbing fittings and fixtures.

Principals

The firm was founded in 2002 by Robin Standefer and Stephen Aleschl; the pair met in the 1990s while working in Hollywood as production designers and art directors.^[2] Standefer and Alesch are married and live in New York City; they also spend time in their residence in Montauk.^[3]

Alesch is a designer, draftsman, photographer, painter, illustrator, etcher, and printer.^[4] He studied engineering and philosophy at Northern Arizona University, although he left college to pursue an architectural apprenticeship. Standefer was a student at the Art Students League and the Academia in Florence, during which time she was an apprentice under Robert Mapplethorpe and James Rosenquist.^[2] Standefer attended Hampshire College and Smith College,^[5] before moving to the City University of New York City University of New York (CUNY) to study art history under the direction of Linda Nochlin. In 1993, she was hired by film director Martin Scorsese to work as the visual consultant for several of his films^[5] which led to a 15-year career in film design.

Firm history

The firm's first office was located on the lot of Paramount Pictures, before they came back to New York in 2002 and established their offices on Lafayette Street.^[6]

Standefer and Alesch's first residential design project was for Ben Stiller, who hired the pair to design his family's Los Angeles home after working with them on the set of his film Duplex,^[7] leading to the founding of their firm, Roman and Williams.^[8] After designing Stiller’s home, Roman and Williams has designed residences for Kate Hudson, Elisabeth Shue and Davis Guggenheim, and Gwyneth Paltrow.^{[9][2][10][11]} Other residential projects include the renovation and expansion of one of Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian Houses.

Among the firm's completed commercial projects are: the renovation of the Royalton Hotel,^[2][12] the interiors of the Standard Hotel (including The Standard Grill and the 18th Floor Club, also known as the Boom Boom Room),^[13] for hotelier Andre Balazs, and the Ace Hotel,^[14][15][16] for hotelier Alex Calderwood – including The Breslin and John Dory^[17][18] restaurants, created by celebrated chef April Bloomfield and restaurateur Ken Friedman,^[19][20] and Stumptown Coffee Shop.

Other projects have included design of The Dutch and Lafayette, that latter of which was called "The Great Gatsby of restaurants" by the New York Observer.^[21]

In 2013, Roman and Williams opened projects including several residential projects in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Connecticut, as well as the Freehand Miami in Miami Beach. The Viceroy Hotel New York, which opened in Midtown New York in October 2013, features a Roman and Williams-designed exterior and interior, as well as custom designed lighting and furniture by the firm in the guest rooms.

In 2014, Roman and Williams expanded beyond the United States with Cantinery, a restaurant located in the heart of Istanbul's Zorlu Center.^[22]

The firm has designed two ground-up residential buildings. The first, at 211 Elizabeth Street, in NoLiTa, was praised for its use of traditional, hand-laid brick.^[23] The second, The Fitzroy, was designed for JDS Development and is located in Chelsea, near the High Line.^[24]

Product design

Roman and Williams launched a product design division in September 2012, and has collaborated with Waterworks and MatterMade.^[25]

In celebration of their tenth year, the firm released a monograph, Things We Made, with Rizzoli, in October 2012, followed by the release of a Japanese edition in May 2014 with Graphic-Sha.^[26] The book shows the firm's work from the past decade, as well as the principals' previous work in film.

Works

Major residential projects by the duo include a refurbishment of the Usonian House.^[27] Commercial works include the design of the Facebook cafeteria.^[28] The firm has also designed the interiors of several hotels for the Sydell Group, including the NoMad Hotel in Manhattan, and the Freehand Miami in Miami.

Product

• Waterworks – "RW Atlas" line of fixtures, bath furniture, and tiles (launched Fall 2012)^[29][30]
• Rizzoli International – Things We Made monograph (published Fall 2012)^[31]
• Matter – "Roman and Williams+MatterMade" line of furniture and lighting (launched Spring 2013)^[32]
• Waterworks – "R.W. Atlas" line of fixtures, lighting, and hardware (launched September 2014)^[33]

Awards

• 2009 – Ace Hotel New York: Interior Design's "Best of Year-Boutique Hotel"
• 2009 – The New York Times "Nifty Fifty"^[34]
• 2010 – 211 Elizabeth Street: Palladio Award^[35]
• 2011 – Architectural Digest's "AD100"^[36]
• 2011 – The Wallpaper* 150^[37]
• 2011 – Fast Company's FastCo Design's 50 Most Influential Designers^[38]
• 2012 – Architectural Digest Top 100 Designers^[39]
• 2013 – Elle Décor A List Designers^[40]
• 2013 – Lawrence Israel Prize Winners^[41]
• 2013 – Lafayette: Winner of "Stone Cold Stunner" in NYC Eater Awards^[42]
• 2013 – Architectural Digest Top 100 Designers^[43]
• 2014 – Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for Interior Design category^[44]

Work for film

Robin Standefer film credits

Stephen Alesch film credits

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Alesch, Stephen; Standefer, Robin; Brisick, Jamie; Stiller, Ben (October 16, 2012). Roman and Williams Buildings & Interiors: Things We Made. Rizzoli. ISBN 978-0-8478-3883-7. 
• Hagberg, Eva (September 29, 2009). Dark Nostalgia. The Monacelli Press. ISBN 978-1-5809-3232-5. 

External links

• Official website
• Stephen Alesch at the Internet Movie Database
• Robin Standefer at the Internet Movie Database