Roman and Williams studio

Roman and Williams’ Canal Street studio serves as the new headquarters of founders Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch’s ever-expanding empire.

Slicing through Lower Manhattan and lined on both sides with a mishmash of smoke shops, graffiti- covered walk-ups and vendors selling knock-off designer handbags, Canal Street is a bustling, vexing thoroughfare. Despite its grimy reputation, it has undergone a transition in recent years, thanks to an influx of high-end boutiques, eateries and galleries, most notably the Roman and Williams- owned Guild Gallery, its sister shop, The Guild, and the adjoining French restaurant La Mercerie.

“There’s a lot of voltage here between what’s inside and what’s outside and I think that’s very interesting – the contrasts and the tension.”

Just a stone’s throw from The Guild, the studio space is the firm’s latest addition to the stretch. “Canal Street is complicated,” admits Standefer, a native New Yorker. “It has its dangers and you have to have your wits about you, but that’s the beauty of the city and that’s what I love about it. There’s a lot of voltage here between what’s inside and what’s outside and I think that’s very interesting – the contrasts and the tension.”

The atmosphere inside the studio is indeed a contrast to the streetscape three floors below. Timber leads the material palette with flooring, wall panelling, loose furniture and doors crafted from oak – its smooth, nutty tones bringing infinite warmth – and a precise combination of natural and artificial light creates a perfectly diffused glow. It’s quiet, too, thanks to the storm windows Standefer installed after relenting to the urban soundtrack.

Largely open plan, the space is defined by rows of double-sided desks with chairs cleverly arranged to allow for focused or collaborative work, and there’s a kitchen where the team can enjoy lunch together. There’s also an informal lounge area and Standefer has plans to add a rooftop garden.

“We wanted something more serene, pure and with a certain kind of calming clarity because our lives had become more complex, compressed and intense,” says Standefer.

Much of the furniture and lighting is from Roman and Williams Guild, as the founders seized the opportunity to test their own collections in an actual studio environment. They’ve selected an Ovo table for the boardroom, Dado tables as desks, Ledger flat file cabinets and Oscar pendant lights.

It’s an intentional shift from the previous studio on Lafayette Street, where Standefer and Alesch began their practice in 2002. “We wanted something more serene, pure and with a certain kind of calming clarity because our lives had become more complex, compressed and intense,” says Standefer. The two maintain that their approach to design is not bound by stylistic or aesthetic ideals but by an attitude that is rooted in artisanship and narrative.

Standefer and Alesch’s offices, which bookend a meeting room at the far end of the space, reveal their contrasting yet complementary roles in the practice. Standefer’s is a melting pot of references. She’s an avid collector – her affinity for rock collecting on holidays frequently wreaks havoc on her suitcase – and her objects and curios are thoughtfully arranged in three banks of flat files. A peek inside one drawer reveals antique silverware, brass candle holders, ceramic dishes, books, thread, tile samples, rocks and shells. “My drawers are like a taxonomy – I have objects from every period.”

On the other hand, Alesch’s office is a veritable workshop. A bench laden with tools sits under a pegboard, task lighting hovers over drafting boards strewn with sheets of paper mid-sketch and stacks of watercolour paints, brushes, pens and pencils are arranged beneath large south-facing windows. “I still hand-draft our project drawings in the beginning, including floor plans, working drawings, details and renderings, so I like to be around the paper and art supplies required,” says Alesch.

The new studio is a headquarters in the truest sense; the team congregates here daily, playing host to salespeople, chefs, gallerists and clients. The effect is that of a humming, hard-working and well-oiled machine. “We have an incredibly sophisticated team of decorators, architects, designers, industrial designers, chefs, design specialists, production people and accountants. It’s a total cottage industry over here,” Standefer explains with a laugh. “They can do anything.”

Architecture and interior design by Roman and Williams.