MW: Tell us a little about B3 Designers?
B3 Designers are an award-winning architectural interior and branding design agency specialising in the hospitality sector, with a focus on restaurants, bars and hotels.
Working with industry leaders, they offer clients a range of complementary services from Concept Development to Identity & Operational Design and even Food Concept Consultancy, alongside their Interior and Branding skills for which they have become renowned.
Founded in 2002 by Mark Bithrey and based in Wapping in the East of London, they have become one of the leading firms in the F&B sector under Mark’s creative direction and the multidisciplinary team’s love for their industry.
Every project they undertake is with the view to have a positive impact on people and places with each space being unique yet sympathetic to its surrounding environment.
B3 are currently shortlisted for two of their recent restaurant projects for Ritz-Carlton; Fiskebar in Hotel de la Paix, Geneva as well as Deák Street Kitchen in Budapest.
MW: Describe what you like about your studio space and what makes it a great place to work?
The studio is full of original features such as the structural steel pillars, joists, beams as well as the big double doors opening to the chain-held wooden platform balconies, crittall windows and painted brick walls.
The space is has floods of natural light, and wonderful high ceilings making for a beautiful light, bright and spacious studio.
MW: What qualities do you like about the Metropolitan Wharf?
Metropolitan Wharf has a fantastic location on the river with a great amount of space. It’s secure with a friendly reception and management team and has plenty of additional space in the beautifully-decorated reception area allowing for more private professional meetings or bigger, open tea, lunches and gatherings opening up onto the terraced area that we can all share at lunch, overlooking the Thames, the opposing South side and the City.
MW: How do you find the community within the building?
There is a great mixture of companies and individuals within the building; welcoming, friendly, young, hip, diverse and creative. It’s a really pleasant and relaxed atmosphere and everyone always seems to be enjoying the space as much as we do. And many of them have dogs, which is always a plus.
MW: Why did you choose the Metropolitan Wharf over other locations such as Shoreditch or Soho?
Wapping station is just a 5 minute walk and is an easy commute on the Overground line and is well connected to the rest of London. It’s also one of the few places where you can be in such a fantastic building with the river literally next to you.
MW: How do you and your people find the connectivity of Wapping?
As above! Shadwell is also close which takes you straight into the city and Wapping is just 2 stops from Canada Water where the Jubilee Line easily connects you to the central and West London.
MW: How do visitors respond when they visit the building?
They love it and always comment on the location, building, features and always comment that they wish they had the same working environment.
MW: How do you find working in Wapping and spending time in the area?
It’s lovely to be a part of the city and so close to everything it has to offer whilst still feeling a sense of calm without the usual distractions of swarms of pedestrians and vehicles and sirens that you usually get outside of a busy office space.
The team often make the most of the local parks, basins, river walks and pubs.
MW: Anything else you would like to mention?
I never thought I’d work in a studio on the beach in the middle of London – it’s a really dream.
