Bureau de Change

What Bureau de Change does

Bureau de Change is a privately held, London-based architecture and interior design practice founded in 2012 by Katerina Dionysopoulou and Billy Mavropoulos. The firm delivers bespoke architectural services across five service categories: Workplace Design (commercial fit-outs and headquarters), Residential Design (extensions, renovations, new-builds), Retail and Cultural Spaces (museums, exhibitions, shop fit-outs), and Objects and Product Design (notably the Efasma furniture range). Documented clients span private homeowners, creative commercial firms (Made.com, Somesuch, Black Kite), luxury retailers (Nikos Koulis, Charles Tyrwhitt, Twist Museum), cultural institutions (V&A Museum, BFI Southbank, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Twist Museum), hospitality operators (Glenrothes Distillery), and property developers (HGG London, Rathplace, I.S.A. Holdings), with international projects in Athens, North Carolina, and Seoul.

The practice's underlying technology centres on parametric design, 3D facade modelling, and bespoke material prototyping, exemplified by innovations such as the 44 misshapen bespoke bricks for The Interlock, glass-reinforced concrete using crushed original bricks as visible aggregate for Trace, and the Thames Glass biomaterial tile range developed with artist Lulu Harrison. Founders trained at Foster+Partners and Heatherwick Studio (Dionysopoulou led the 2012 Olympic Cauldron project) and the studio is currently represented in the Bartlett School of Architecture teaching faculty. Reputation is reinforced by a sustained record of industry recognition including FX Breakthrough Talent of the Year (2016), Sunday Times Architect of the Year (2019), Royal Triennial Excellence in Brickwork (2020), and RIBA London Award (2024).

The business model is project-based bespoke commission work acquired primarily through direct client relationships, architectural competitions, and referrals within the UK architecture and design community, supported by an Instagram-led social presence and earned media. The firm holds no institutional investment, has no disclosed revenue or pricing, and operates as a small independent studio with no parent company or subsidiaries. Geographic reach is concentrated in London and the South East of England with selected international projects.

Name

Bureau de Change

Legal name

Bureau de Change

Website

https://b-de-c.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bureau de Change is a privately held London-based architecture and interior design practice founded in 2012, delivering bespoke residential, workplace, retail, cultural and product design for private, commercial and institutional clients across the UK, Greece, the USA and South Korea.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (541410), Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220), Residential Remodelers (236118)

SIC

Office Furniture (2520), Public Bldg & Related Furniture (2531)

akta.pro primary industry

Renovation, Remodeling & Tenant Improvements (General Contracting) (IMAFAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workplace Change Management & Communications (BPABAFAK), Architectural Reconfiguration & Structural Alterations (HSAPAEAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Interior design
• Residential architecture
• Cultural and exhibition design
• Bespoke furniture design

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Bureau de Change is a London-based architectural and interior design practice that designs bespoke buildings, interiors, and objects across residential, workplace, retail, cultural, and hospitality sectors. The studio offers four service categories — Workplace, Homes, Spaces (retail, museums, exhibitions), and Objects (furniture and bespoke products) — delivered through direct commissions and selected design competitions in the UK and internationally.

Product overview

Bureau de Change is an award-winning architecture practice founded by Katerina Dionysopoulou and Billy Mavropoulos. The practice offers a comprehensive portfolio of architectural and design services across five main categories: Workplace Design (commercial offices and fit-outs), Residential Design/Homes (extensions, renovations, new-builds), Retail and Cultural Spaces (museums, exhibitions, shops), Objects and Product Design (furniture, bespoke pieces), and Spaces (interior design). Their notable projects include The Interlock mixed-use development in Fitzrovia, The Gaslight Art Deco workspace transformation, Made.com HQ retail showroom concept, The Trampery Fish Island Village fashion campus fit-out, Somesuch 2.0 production company headquarters, and the Efasma furniture range. The practice also produces installation work for cultural events such as the Seoul Biennale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Workplace Design Commercial office and workspace design services including fit-outs, refurbishments, and new-build commercial developments for creative and enterprise clients.
• Residential Design (Homes) Private residential architecture including house extensions, renovations, new-build homes, and multi-unit residential developments for affluent private clients.
• Retail and Cultural Spaces Design services for retail environments, museums, exhibitions, and cultural institutions including shop fit-outs and exhibition design.
• Objects and Product Design Furniture design and bespoke product design services, including the Efasma furniture range and custom architectural objects such as Thames Glass tiles.
• Efasma Furniture Range

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kit GrovercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKit Grover, in association with Bureau de Change, was commissioned to develop the schematic design for Brooklyn Academy of Music's Fulton Street development, including the Harvey Theatre, events space, and vacant building plot.
• dMFK ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerdMFK Architects led the refurbishment, reconfiguration, and extension of the Art Deco building on Rathbone Street, while Bureau de Change created the distinctive bespoke interiors. Bureau de Change was responsible for the bronze mesh circulation core and artisanal interior character.
• John Desmond LtdminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerJohn Desmond Ltd collaborated with Bureau de Change to develop one-to-one mock-ups for the bespoke burnished bronze mesh cladding panels at The Gaslight, testing every corner and detail for consistent expression across the four-storey height.
• Bill Amberg StudiominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBill Amberg Studio created the bespoke pentagonal blue leather handrail for The Gaslight lift interiors, reflecting the owner's connection to shoemaking and leather.
• HGG LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHGG London commissioned Bureau de Change to design Trace, a transformative deep retrofit residential project on Drummond Street in Euston, adding two new floors and creating five contemporary apartments.
• Lulu HarrisonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist Lulu Harrison created Thames Glass biomaterial from mussel shells, sand, and waste wood ash. Bureau de Change worked closely with her to explore whether this material could be used for eco-friendly building cladding and cast glass facade tiles.
• Here DesignminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHere Design curated the Beautility exhibition at London Craft Week, which featured Bureau de Change's Thames Glass tile range created with Lulu Harrison.
• Charles TyrwhittminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharles Tyrwhitt commissioned Bureau de Change to create a window installation representing the brand's craftsmanship and British heritage. The installation creates the impression of a traditional tailor's cutting room using pattern pieces replicated in six British timbers.
• Sto WerkstattminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBureau de Change created the Droplet installation for Sto Werkstatt, working with their intelligent facade paints to devise an immersive exhibition illustrating paint properties over its duration.
• Keymer TilesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerKeymer Tiles, one of the oldest established roofing brands in the UK crafting handmade tiles since 1588, supplied traditional profile clay tiles for the Clay House extension cladding.
• Argent Related and BarnetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBureau de Change was one of four finalists out of 188 entries in the Pavilion for All competition organised by Argent Related and Barnet for Brent Cross Town, one of Europe's largest regeneration projects.
• John Groom's MissionminorOthersThe Droplet installation's sculptural petal forms were inspired by flower-making tools from when Sto Werkstatt's building housed John Groom's artificial flower-making factory (1876–1932), which trained impoverished and disabled women in craft.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Barber Osgerby: London-based industrial design studio with strong crossover into architecture-installations and exhibition design (e.g., design installations at the V&A and London Design Festival). Comparable in objects/spatial overlap and premium positioning, particularly on the product/furniture side where Bureau de Change's Efasma range competes.
• Jasper Morrison Ltd: London-based industrial design studio known for reduced, well-crafted object design that crosses into spatial design through galleries and retail installations. Comparable on the objects side of Bureau de Change's practice (Efasma) and uses similar premium material suppliers and craft partners.
• Aberrant Architecture: Small London-based architecture practice focused on experimental, research-led residential and cultural projects. Smaller in scale than Bureau de Change but operates in the same London residential/architectural-innovation niche with award recognition from RIBA and similar bodies.

Direct peers

• DRMM Architects: Multi-award-winning London architecture practice with comparable scale and a portfolio spanning residential, cultural (museums, galleries), and workplace projects. Overlaps with Bureau de Change on RIBA Award-winning mixed-use and heritage-sensitive projects in London.
• Studioilse: London-based design studio led by Ilse Crawford, working across interiors, furniture, and product design with a particular emphasis on hospitality, retail, and residential. Closely comparable to Bureau de Change in objects/spatial crossover and premium cultural-client base.
• Heatherwick Studio: London-based, founder-led design studio founded by Thomas Heatherwick; Katerina Dionysopoulou trained here and led the Olympic Cauldron project. Operates with an identical model — small team, theatrical concept-led design across architecture, interiors, objects, and installations — and serves the same cultural, luxury, and developer client base (e.g., Google, Coal Drops Yard). Most directly comparable peer.
• dMFK Architects: London-based architecture and interiors practice working across residential, commercial, and adaptive-reuse projects. Collaborated with Bureau de Change on The Gaslight, sharing the design lead on the same project. Comparable in size, London focus, and emphasis on bespoke craft-driven design.
• Universal Design Studio: London-headquartered design studio with parallel offer across workplace, hospitality, retail, and cultural interiors. Shared founder training heritage (both founders cut teeth at Foster + Partners), similar premium positioning, and overlapping client roster including luxury retail and cultural institutions.
• Coffey Architects: London-based architecture practice of similar vintage and scale to Bureau de Change, working on residential extensions, mixed-use developments, and commercial interiors with multiple RIBA and Sunday Times awards. Shares overlap on residential-extension typology and developer-client base.

Broad incumbents

• Foster + Partners: Global architecture incumbent founded by Norman Foster; both Bureau de Change founders trained here. While far larger and broader in scope (supertall towers, airports, masterplans), Foster + Partners is the relevant benchmark in the UK for premium cultural and developer commissions and competes for the same flagship clients (e.g., Bloomberg, Battersea Power Station).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/bureaudechange_architects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bureau-de-change

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bureau de Change