In 2002, Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch partnered to found the New York-based design studio Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors. The firm has since garnered international attention for their work on hotels, restaurants, retail spaces, homes, and product design. Distinguishable by their ingenious blending of historical elements with a modern reference, Roman and Williams strives to create projects which consistently find the tension between spontaneity and rigor, refinement and rebellion, and past and future. The studio places an emphasis on sturdy, well-made objects, custom designing many of the furniture and fixtures found in their work. Each project is instilled with a heightened sense of narrative and familiarity. Credited with disrupting the hospitality industry by creating an alternative to the ‘boutique’ hotel Roman and Williams is known for their work on such projects as Ace Hotel New York, The Boom Boom Room at the Standard Highline, and the historic Chicago Athletic Association Hotel. Their restaurants have received extensive praise, including Le Coucou, with Stephen Starr and Chef Daniel Rose, which was named New York City’s top restaurant of 2016 by the New York Times. In another project of cultural and civic significance, the firm is collaborating on the re-design of the British Galleries at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Roman and Williams has received numerous accolades for their approach, including the prestigious 2014 National Design Award for excellence in Interior Design and a recurring presence in Architectural Digest’s Top 100 Designers. Robin and Stephen were cited by Fast Company in 2016 as two of the most Creative People in Business.

In 2012, César and Helvia Vega stepped away from their day jobs to fulfill a long-time dream of pursuing coffee, made solely from Nicaraguan beans, full-time. In a short span, they went from hand delivering roasted coffee from Washington Heights to running a successful counter-space inside a Soho boutique. Earning a notice from The New York Times, Café Integral was cited as a premier coffee destination in NYC. In 2014, they were profiled in Nicaragua’s most-read dailies, La Prensa de Nicaragua and La Estrella. In 2015, César was named to Zagat’s “30 Under 30” list of the most promising young culinary professionals and in 2017, César was honored as one of Starchefs’ “Rising Stars.” In 2015, the Vegas partnered with Freehand Hotels and Sydell Group to bring Café Integral to Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles. Café Integral opened its first full-scale outlet in New York’s Nolita in 2016, cementing its role as the chief authority on Nicaraguan coffee in the United States.

Founded in 2009 by Gabriel and Gina Stulman, Happy Cooking Hospitality is the New York City-based restaurant group behind beloved neighborhood restaurants Joseph Leonard, Jeffrey’s Grocery, Fedora, Fairfax, and Bar Sardine, all located within blocks of one another in Manhattan’s historic West Village. Dining in a Happy Cooking restaurant feels like being entertained at home if one lived on a historic corner, had a chef in the kitchen and didn’t have to do the dishes. They are the kind of places where one can comfortably dine often, and where guests quickly become family. Gabe is excited to be teaming up with partners Matt Kebbekus, Chef Matt Griffin and Sydell on Freehand New York’s Simon & The Whale, Studio and George Washington Bar.

Since opening its doors in Venice Beach in 2015, designer Sean Knibb’s Flowerboy Project has become known for its whimsical wares and friendly approach to retail. Now, with a second outpost at Freehand, Knibb brings his unique concept—part flower shop, part retail space, part creative workspace— to Downtown LA.  In addition to a daily selection of colorful, fresh-cut blooms, Flowerboy offers a curated selection of new and found items including rare vintage clothing, candles, one-of-a-kind jewelry, magazines, objects, accessories and more.