Business Details
Handcrafted Furniture & Home Goods in New York
Roman & Williams Guild is a collective vision for home, offering original furniture and lighting designs by Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch alongside curated objects from a global guild of artists and artisans. Established in New York, the company emphasizes material honesty and structural clarity, blending architectural principles with handcrafted artistry. Our collections expand living systems inspired by botanical architecture, featuring collaborations with over 100 international makers. The Guild's flagship store at 53 Howard Street showcases large-scale furniture, while adjacent spaces include La Mercerie restaurant and Guild Gallery. We specialize in bespoke lighting with handcrafted brass canopies and nested glass shades, alongside tableware collections that merge functionality with sculptural design.Our team works directly with artisans to preserve traditional techniques while innovating modern forms. The company hosts rotating exhibitions at Guild Gallery, highlighting contemporary works that fuse ancient and modern aesthetics. With a focus on permanence and deliberate imperfection, we create pieces that evolve with time and use. Roman & Williams Guild maintains a physical presence in New York while serving clients globally through custom commissions. Our commitment to quality extends to every detail, from molten glass vessels to architectural lighting systems that transform interior spaces.
Services
Furniture Design
Lighting Fixtures
Tableware Collections
Artisan Collaborations
Interior Design
Gallery Exhibitions
Custom Commissions
Restaurant Services
Home Decor
Design Consultation
Highlights and features
- We offer original designs by award-winning architects Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch
- Our collections feature collaborations with over 100 international artisans and makers
- We maintain direct relationships with heritage workshops across multiple continents
- Our New York showroom integrates furniture, lighting, and tableware in immersive displays
- We operate a Michelin-starred restaurant and contemporary art gallery alongside our design offerings
What people say
Unique designs
Artisan quality
Immersive showroom
Exceptional craftsmanship
Curated collections
Services
Furniture Design
Roman & Williams Guild creates original furniture designs that blend architectural principles with artisan craftsmanship. Our collections feature dining tables, seating, and storage solutions that emphasize structural clarity and material honesty. Each piece combines modern forms with traditional making techniques for enduring quality.
Lighting Fixtures
Our lighting collection includes handcrafted pendants, sconces, and lamps featuring precise surfaces and natural finishes. Signature pieces like the Axil Pendant use nested glass shades and brass canopies from heritage French workshops to create sculptural illumination solutions for residential and commercial spaces.
Artisan Collaborations
The Guild partners with over 100 international artisans to produce unique home goods. From Kanazawa glassblowers to Danish metalworkers, these collaborations preserve traditional techniques while innovating contemporary designs. Each partnership maintains direct relationships with heritage workshops across multiple continents.
Gallery Exhibitions
Guild Gallery presents curated exhibitions that explore intersections between ancient techniques and modern aesthetics. The space showcases works experimenting with line, form, and material, featuring both established and emerging artists in solo and group presentations at our Canal Street location.
Tableware Collections
Our tabletop offerings include dinnerware, glassware, and flatware that merge functionality with sculptural design. The Bean and Bone collection exemplifies our approach, while collaborations with artisans like Yuki Osako produce handblown vessels that serve as both drinkware and decorative objects.
People
Robin Standefer
Co-Founder
Co-founder of Roman & Williams Guild with Stephen Alesch, Robin Standefer brings architectural expertise to furniture design. Their work emphasizes material honesty and structural clarity, creating pieces that evolve with time and use through the Guild's artisan collaborations.
Stephen Alesch
Co-Founder
As co-founder with Robin Standefer, Stephen Alesch leads design direction for the Guild's furniture and lighting collections. Their architectural background informs the company's approach to creating living systems inspired by botanical architecture and modernist principles.
Questions
What is Roman and Williams Guild's design philosophy?
We combine architectural principles with artisan craftsmanship, emphasizing material honesty and structural clarity in furniture, lighting, and home goods.
Do you offer custom design services?
Yes, we provide custom commissions for furniture, lighting, and interior design projects through direct collaboration with our design team.
Where are your products made?
Our pieces are crafted by heritage workshops worldwide and our New York team, with collaborations spanning 30+ countries and 100+ artisans.
Can I visit your New York showroom?
Our flagship store at 53 Howard Street is open Monday-Thursday 10-9, Friday-Sunday 10-10 for in-person shopping and design consultations.
What is included in your lighting collection?
We offer pendants, chandeliers, sconces, and lamps featuring handcrafted brass components and glass elements from heritage workshops in France and Japan.
Do you have a restaurant at your New York location?
Yes, La Mercerie is our Michelin-starred French restaurant located at the Howard Street flagship, open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Reviews (6)
Grace Z.
Oct 12, 2021
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This review is for the shop only and not the restaurant side. Beautiful pieces and collection of home decor. I've been eyeing on the Rinka collection for the longest time and wanted to get my hands on some of the ceramics as this is the only place that sold this collection in stores in the US. My friend secretly worked with a worker there to purchase the mugs and saucer and she play along the entire time. We even bumped into her in the street and needless to say she was the sweetest!
Lori K.
Sep 24, 2021
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I ordered five pillows and one was defective. I did not notice it for awhile because I was waiting on new furniture that was delayed due to covid. I requested to exchange the one defective pillow, but, the company would not give me an answer. I eventually gave up. Poor customer service for a high end store. I will not do business with companies who don't stand behind their products and don't provide good customer service.
Ori Ade Opeyemi
Jul 01, 2021
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Zeref Z.
Jun 11, 2021
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Beautiful environment, soft music, sitting in it, I feel very happy, the food is delicious, but it is a little expensive, and I will try it next time
Faith O.
Apr 22, 2021
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The place is beautiful! But the food was extremely subpar.. quite disappointing but it seemed to lack a lot of flavor and was super unsatisfying.. Maybe I was just too excited because of the hype, but it just seemed like they were cutting corners when it came to the food they served.
Blessy B.
Jan 12, 2021
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This is my favorite place in New York. Ever. When you've been busy frolicking around the city and have been on the move all day, this is the place you can go to drink some tea and just find some time to relax. I can go on and on about their teas, pastries, and furnishings, but I'm here to simply here to say "you must stop by."
Every time we are in the city, I try to make time for this place. It's a vibe.
Every time we are in the city, I try to make time for this place. It's a vibe.
