Omeara London comes out on top at Mixology 17

We ventured to the Old Billingsgate market last Thursday with feelings of both excitement and déjà vu. Having been shortlisted at Mixology before, we have experienced the rollercoaster of emotions that awards nights bring and we were convinced this would be no different. We were up against some seriously big competition across both the Hospitality Interiors and Design Practice of the Year categories we were shortlisted for.

We must have been fairly sceptical of our chances when we submitted our entries as we didn’t think (at that stage) to book a table for the festivities. By the time we found out we were on the short list they were pretty much sold out. Lesson number 1 - trust your ability!

We did manage to secure some seats but not a whole table, so we had to leave two of the newest team members behind, which was a real shame. No chance of that next year. We shall be booking early!

When the time for our first award came up (Hospitality Interiors) I was purposefully playing down our chances to our team as well as to the other lovely guests our table from NaughtOne and Spacelab. I must have been doing such a good job I didn't actually hear the announcement and had to be prodded by Stephenie next to me to get focussed! It was majorly surreal making our way to the stage and, my God, that award weighs a bloody ton - a great doorstop in the making I think! 

A very big thank you must go to our co-collaborators on the project - Studio Juice and Dick Bird. It was a fantastic team effort and we are so proud of the completed work.

After the obligatory photos and a mumbled interview with some strange people in the bar, we were just about to take a well-earned comfort break when we realised that DPOTY was the next one up. If the competition in Hospitality was stiff the other companies in this category were legendary. There were, unfortunately, no David and Goliath moments here though as TP Bennett romped home on the back of that small, insignificant bit of work they've just finished with UBS 😂😂 Well done guys!