What began in 2002 as a simple collaboration between two Hollywood set designers has grown and matured since into one of the most influential interior design firms in America, if not the world. Roman and Williams—named after the grandfathers of founders Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch—can claim in its portfolio such iconic names as the Ace Hotel, The Standard, The Dutch, not to mention the homes of Ben Stiller and Gwyneth Paltrow. The clean, understated, and admittedly nostalgic aesthetic that is their hallmark can be seen in fine restaurants and boutique hotels in cosmopolitan capitals around the globe. And even those that were not directly designed by the duo often bear their stamp—current trends such as the use of reclaimed wood, period light fixtures, and organic materials were pioneered by the firm in its formative years, to become something of the standard in contemporary design.

In the published volume Things We Made, the firm presents a solid compendium of their work, in an elegant scrapbook that includes everything from conceptual sketches to glossily finished portraits. A survey of some of their most prestigious projects, the book is an ultimate portfolio of sorts, the type of publication both an amateur and a connoisseur can devour with envy and with glee. The photographs are beautiful, and the establishments they portray, one has to imagine, even more so—a suspicion that can be easily confirmed, if one doesn’t live too far away, with a simple reservation.

Check out the book Roman and Williams: Things We Made here.