In December 2017, Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch opened Roman and Williams Guild as a modern-day guild, a guild of the senses, that gathers the best of everything they make, and everything they love, and helps others to do the same. Located in Soho, the 7,000 sf flagship carries Roman and Willians’ own designs of furniture, lighting, and accessories for the home, along with a highly curated selection of hand-crafted goods from artisans from around the world. It enables Standefer and Alesch to design, produce, and present their own original designs, in a setting of their own making, on their own terms. It is also home to La Mercerie, a vibrant French restaurant with cuisine by Chef Marie-Aude Rose. A radical vision for the home and a way of living that is not just beautiful and luxurious, it is also deeply connected to nature, culture, and community.
Located in a building from 1857 that was once home to one of America’s first department stores, the cavernous space stretches a full city block from Howard Street to Canal Street. The rich, sumptuous, and tactile environment inspires all of the senses across two floors. On the main floor the restaurant bleeds into the shop where visitors are able to enjoy a drink, and with some tables crossing into the space, even dine. Likewise, the shop seamlessly blends into the restaurant, where all of the tabletop goods guests eat off of and drink from, are for sale. A lower floor features found objects, a library cum bookstore, and an intimate and exquisite private dining room. Completing the space, all of the faucets and fixtures throughout the Guild–from the kitchen to the bathrooms–are from the R.W. Atlas Collection, designed in collaboration with Waterworks, and architectural door and cabinet hardware were created with another beloved partner, H. Theophile.
Championing timeless design, natural materials, and masterful craftsmanship, construction quality is stubbornly uncompromising—from the space itself through to the RW Guild Original Designs and artisan pieces within.