After a decade of work and numerous high-profile projects, R.W. Atlas is the first product launch and collaboration from Roman and Williams' principals, husband-and-wife team Stephen Alesch and Robin Standefer. The new R.W. Atlas collection for Waterworks includes fittings and tile, available this month.



Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch. Portrait by Antoine Bootz.

“We are very proud of this collaboration and the design possibilities it affords our clients,” says Peter Sallick, Waterworks’ CEO. “Together with Roman and Williams, we went to great lengths to create fittings and tile that combine function with a profound sense of beauty and refinement. This product marries a heritage of great American design perspective with decades of experience engineering and producing the highest quality products. Throughout the process, we were inspired by the idea of utilitarian objects that are made exceptionally well and that work beautifully for generations, and this is our hope for R.W. Atlas and District Tile.”

The introduction of R.W. Atlas includes over 30 new styles of bath fittings, fixtures and accessories, with a focus on brass, offered in several finishes, including—new to Waterworks—Burnished Nickel and Carbon. The assortment also features knurled and tumbled elements. The District Tile line includes 20 hand-glazed colors.

“R.W. Atlas is part of our ongoing interest in embracing the idea of American utility, but imbuing that with a sense of glamour and sophistication,” explains Standefer. “The result is a wonderful sense of tension -- between the masculine and the feminine, the industrial and the sensual, the familiar and the new.”