The aesthetic of William White is rooted in practicality: while showing off a pair of corduroy pants, Cooper explains how he designed the pockets to perfectly fit an iPhone. A section of a sofa effortlessly lays out to double as a twin bed. And then there’s what he describes as “culinary accouterments”: platters, plates, bowls, napkins, glasses, teacups, candlesticks and a carafe. It’s everything you need for every day, or a last-minute dinner party… but nothing more. Then there’s the fact that much of it is, well, white: “A reference for me was nonclinical white—warm white. It’s a blank canvas, a clarity, a feeling,” Cooper says of the color. “You can build your own world on top.”
Yet you’d never describe William White as basic, as every item is executed with the utmost craftsmanship and care. Homewares are handpainted with zodiac signs in a town outside of Palermo, Italy, while glass is blown by a family of artisans in Cairo, Egypt. (The earliest glass artifacts in history, Cooper explains, were discovered in the North African country.) Clothing is made in the same New York factory that produces garments for The Row and Thom Browne.
Furthermore, every piece he designs will only be one of 10 or 20. “There’s so much nastiness in mass production—I wanted to be antithetical to that in a way,” Cooper says. Whereas many big conglomerates pump out expensive, trendy goods that trap us in a cycle of endlessly wanting more, Cooper wants us to buy something that hopefully satisfies us forever. “Everything should work into your existing world,” he says. “The wardrobe should work into your existing wardrobe. The tabletop should work into your existing tabletop. The furniture should work into your existing interior.”