WINTER HANGOUT: Roman and Williams Guild & La Mercerie

Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, the duo behind interior design powerhouse Roman and Williams, have given us an unparalleled design showroom and restaurant serving french comfort food where you could spend a cold winter day. Guild bursts with creative energy: part showroom, part restaurant, part city reprieve and everything here will activate your senses.

The showroom is filled with beautiful furnishings, lighting, accessories, linens, furs, fabrics, and all sorts of must-have objets d’art. They’re divided into three collections: “Founding,” comprising Roman and Williams’s own designs; “Community,” objects from places as far as Japan, Sweden, and Denmark; and “Found,” or antiques with a story. 

The cafe, Le Mercerie, was inspired by the grand cafés of Paris and the wild imaginations of Standefer and Alesch. And tucked away in colorful corner is Emily Thompson’s wild flower shop and a Phaidon library filled with books from the creative arts publisher.

Guild is completely non discreet and located at the end of Howard Street in Soho and I find myself stopping here whenever I pass by. The staff will encourage you to relax, have a glass of wine or signature cocktail and enjoy the store. When everything around you is so beautiful and comfortable, you find yourself making yourself at home.