Roman and Williams is a design studio in New York City. It was founded in 2002 by Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch.[1] [2]
Ben Stiller hired the couple to design his Los Angeles home after working with them on the set of the film Duplex (2003),[3] after which they decided to found their own design studio.[4]
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[5] 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.[6] [7] [8] [9]
Standefer and Alesch use their own homes in Manhattan and Montauk as design laboratories for future projects.[10] 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."[11]
In 2011, Standefer and Alesch, were recognized in Fast Company's list of "America's 50 Most Influential Designers."[12] In 2014, they received the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s National Design Award for Interior Design.[13] They won The Wall Street Journal's 2017 Innovators Award in the Design category,[14] and the 2018 "Visionaries Award" from the Sir John Soane's Museum Foundation[15] as well as an award for "Architecture" by Fashion Group International.[16] The studio has been included in lists of the top design firms by Architectural Digest and Elle Decor.[17] [18]
The firm designed the goop mrkt pop-up store,[19] and the HuffPost Live New York studio.[20]
In 2016, Roman and Williams was commissioned to redesign the British Galleries at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which opened in March 2020.[21] 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.[22]
| 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 |
| 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 |