Roman & Williams

We take walks around NYC on most weekends, and one of the places we find ourselves gravitating towards is the area of Howard Street, in Soho. There you will find interesting shops like Rick Owens, Roll and Hill, BDDW, and The Guild, with La Mercerie. I personally never tire of wandering through The Guild, once through the bustling brunch crowd at the front. When we initially stumbled upon the private room in the basement, we were charmed by it and the curated objects and books surrounding it.  That is certainly a place to be for any special occasion. Roman and Williams has a tremendous ability to create cravable spaces. We first noticed them when the redesigned the iconic Royalton here in NYC. They took an approach that was foreign to us, it was moody, and dark, and mostly brown with blue. We weren't sure if we liked it, but it sparked a trajectory for them that cannot be denied, and now, we are fans. They have mastered the art of capturing that subliminal it factor, which people seek, even before social media starts beating the drum.  The restaurant industry, especially in NY, is brutal.  It is beyond competitive, people are watching, and when you manage to not only be open but to be thriving after 7 years, you surely have done and continue to do the right thing.  

It seems that we just can't get enough of certain places, mostly restaurants but sometimes shops, as we naturally absorb what makes NYC such a great scene. We have seen quite a bit here and around the world; complex and non-complex, under-designed as well as over. But it always boils down to striking the perfect balance that pleases and end user, while remaining true to itself. Many times it's in the details, layers upon layers of the right elements, resulting in a sum greater than its parts. Roman and Williams delivers that way. As an example, the tarps over the dining sheds outside of La Mercerie are tied onto tiny porcelain insulators, apropo to the history of the place where they sit, traveling along the top of its sides. This specific detail would probably go overlooked by almost everyone, who wouldn't know what that is anyway. But for us, it shows an ability and an attention to details that not many follow through with. Budgets and willing clients help in that achievement, no doubt, but they have earned their place at that table. 

The area around Howard Street is undeniably special. Similar to the rest of Soho, the old NY architecture is amazing of course, but these specific few blocks are less traveled, tucked in, and feel like a secret. Last weekend my closing remark as we were leaving was, regardless of what we may have seen, it's always inspiring to be down here.  



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