Together with ING, we set up a new way of serving their clients. A hospitality minded approach would best suit a new type of banking. This approach can be sensed in the way clients are addressed and tended to, but in the overall atmosphere of the interior as well. On a functional level this approach meant leaving out the omnipresent counter. The clients can wait in a warm coffee bar named ‘black gold’. Self-banking is done on the ‘workbench’, where all digital touchpoints are available and staff is helping and advising people on the how-to’s of digital banking. Personal encounters can be held in open, semi-closed or completely private rooms. The staff’s offices are on the first floor and blend in with the public space. As a result, the bank takes on a more human face. The interior colours are warm and the atmosphere is laid-back. Wood and other textural materials were used. We created a public space that feels like a private space. The psychological distance between the bank and its visitors that is omnipresent in most bank offices is reduced to a minimum. To furnish the space we chose Dutch design objects. We wanted to stay away from the clutter of marketing collateral, which is present everywhere in most bank offices. We chose to communicate in an alternative way, using quotes that inspire, or trigger thoughts. These quotes are placed throughout the office and also on the coffee cups.