""Breuer's geometries, you can't get them out of your head," says Standefer, speaking at their downtown office, surrounded by sketches, renderings, and other hints at what's to come. The power of his Brutalism, she explains, lies not only in the beauty of faceted forms, but in the poetry of underlying tensions-between light and shadow, breath and heft. "The building is like a fortress, intense and intimidating," says Alesch. "Yet there is a softness too. It's important to build upon that heart." The couple's design, as of yet under wraps, resolves to respect and engage with that legacy. Adds Standefer, "We want to find our own language.""
""Breuer's walnut-and-bronze stair railing crystallized the restaurant's palette, giving way to millwork in two types of the wood-Claro and Black Figured-and burnished planes of metal. It's one of the many pas de deux that will unfold: in the dialogue between tufted banquettes and bush-hammered concrete walls, for instance, or between the tubular steel frames and leather upholstery of Bauhaus stools. "We are taking Breuer's touchstones," Standefer says, "and making sure to pair them with something unexpected.""
Sotheby's New York reopened in the Breuer building, prompting Roman and Williams to design and operate Marcel, a restaurant named after the architect that opens this spring. The design honors Breuer's Brutalist geometries by balancing faceted, fortress-like mass with softer, light-filled moments. The walnut-and-bronze stair railing informed the palette, leading to millwork in Claro and Black Figured woods and burnished metal planes. The design emphasizes contrasts: tufted banquettes set against bush-hammered concrete walls, and tubular steel frames paired with leather Bauhaus stools. The intent is to respect Breuer's touchstones while pairing them with unexpected elements to create a distinct language.
Read at Architectural Digest
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