Roman and Williams is a design studio in New York City. It was founded in 2002 by Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch.
History Ben Stiller hired the couple to design his Los Angeles home after working with them on the set of the film Duplex (2003), after which they decided to found their own design studio.
Named for the founders' maternal grandfathers, the firm opened its first office on the lot of Paramount Pictures. In 2004, it relocated to New York and established its office on Lafayette Street before moving to Canal Street in 2023.
Roman and Williams has designed homes for celebrity clients including Kate Hudson, Elisabeth Shue and Davis Guggenheim, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Standefer and Alesch use their own homes in Manhattan and Montauk as design laboratories for future projects. The New York Times described their East Fourth Street apartment "an appealing hybrid, as if an apartment from the Apthorp had been reassembled by the furniture designers Pierre Chareau or Jean Prouve."
In 2011, Standefer and Alesch were recognized in Fast Companys list of "America's 50 Most Influential Designers." In 2014, they received the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum's National Design Award for Interior Design. They won The Wall Street Journal's 2017 Innovators Award in the Design category, and the 2018 "Visionaries Award" from the Sir John Soane's Museum Foundation as well as an award for "Architecture" by Fashion Group International. The studio has been included in lists of the top design firms by Architectural Digest and Elle Decor.
The firm designed the goop mrkt pop-up store, and the HuffPost Live New York studio.
In 2016, Roman and Williams was commissioned to redesign the British Galleries at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which opened in March 2020. This commission was the firm's first project in a museum. They were later commissioned to design an exhibition space for a special section of Frieze Masters 2023.
Work for film
Robin Standefer film credits Year Film Role 1989 New York Stories Fine arts curator 1990 Goodfellas Art department researcher 1991 The Rapture Production designer 1992 Mac Production designer 1993 The Age of Innocence Video research consultant 1994 The New Age Production designer 1995 Search and Destroy Production designer 1996 The Pallbearer Production designer 1997 Commandments Production designer Addicted to Love Production designer 1998 Illuminata Production designer Practical Magic Production designer 1999 The Invisible Circus Production designer 2001 The Caveman's Valentine Production designer Get Over It Production designer Zoolander Production designer 2002 The Guru Production designer 2003 Duplex Production designer
Stephen Alesch film credits Year Film Role 1993 Matinee Set designer 1994 Cabin Boy Set designer New Nightmare Set designer Stargate Set designer 1995 Galaxis Set designer Search and Destroy Art director 1996 The Pallbearer Art director 1997 Commandments Art director Addicted to Love Art director Gattaca Set designer 1998 Illuminata Art director What Dreams May Come Set designer Practical Magic Architectural consultant 1999 The Invisible Circus Art director 2000 Gun Shy Art director 2001 The Caveman's Valentine Art director/visual consultant (New York) Get Over It Art director Zoolander Art director 2002 Issaquena Production designer The Guru Production designer 2003 Duplex Production designer
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