PKO Bank Polski

30 July 2012

A largely black-and-white colour scheme in the bank used gold as a dramatic counterpoint

A largely black-and-white colour scheme in the bank used gold as a dramatic counterpoint

A largely black-and-white colour scheme in the bank used gold as a dramatic counterpoint

A largely black-and-white colour scheme in the bank used gold as a dramatic counterpoint

A largely black-and-white colour scheme in the bank used gold as a dramatic counterpoint

A largely black-and-white colour scheme in the bank used gold as a dramatic counterpoint

The bespoke reception desk is flanked by a black glossy wall and has a gold feature wall behind.

The bespoke reception desk is flanked by a black glossy wall and has a gold feature wall behind.

The bespoke reception desk is flanked by a black glossy wall and has a gold feature wall behind.

The bespoke reception desk is flanked by a black glossy wall and has a gold feature wall behind.

The bespoke reception desk is flanked by a black glossy wall and has a gold feature wall behind.

The bespoke reception desk is flanked by a black glossy wall and has a gold feature wall behind.

Abstract grid patterns in carpeting and ceilings were inspired by a graphic from White Cat Studio.

Abstract grid patterns in carpeting and ceilings were inspired by a graphic from White Cat Studio.

Abstract grid patterns in carpeting and ceilings were inspired by a graphic from White Cat Studio.

Abstract grid patterns in carpeting and ceilings were inspired by a graphic from White Cat Studio.

Abstract grid patterns in carpeting and ceilings were inspired by a graphic from White Cat Studio.

Abstract grid patterns in carpeting and ceilings were inspired by a graphic from White Cat Studio.

The waiting area features a Zaha Hadid sofa, and chairs and low table by B&B Italia

The waiting area features a Zaha Hadid sofa, and chairs and low table by B&B Italia

The waiting area features a Zaha Hadid sofa, and chairs and low table by B&B Italia

The waiting area features a Zaha Hadid sofa, and chairs and low table by B&B Italia

The waiting area features a Zaha Hadid sofa, and chairs and low table by B&B Italia

The waiting area features a Zaha Hadid sofa, and chairs and low table by B&B Italia

Gold is usually in the vaults at banks, not on the walls, but a bank with plenty of bling was the standing order of the day for designers in their scheme for this private banking centre

Client: PKO Bank
Design: Robert Majkut Design Studio
Size: 483 sq m
Completion time: 5 months
Photography: Szymon Polanski

With its colour palette of black, gold and silver, this private branch of PKO Bank Polski is anything but banking bland. But this is banking for people who love bling: only a select group of customers gets to bank here, and patronage is rewarded with security, discretion and a level of comfort and service beyond that of an ordinary high-street bank.

PKO Bank Polski is Poland's largest bank, and the redesign of this private banking centre in Warsaw by Robert Majkut Design Studio is part of a major rebranding exercise that also involved the creation of a new logo and corporate identity by White Cat Studio.

'We were invited to collaborate with PKO Bank Polski at a very special moment, when the bank began to reconsider its corporate image and decided to become more competitive,' says founder and principal architect Robert Majkut, whose practice was given the task of translating White Cat Studio's design for the bank's corporate identity into an interior design scheme.

Robert Majkut Design Studio used this logo as a basis for the colour scheme, but it was also inspired by a graphic designed by White Cat Studio that featured a delicate grid of what Majkut calls 'sinusoidal lines'.

Taking this graphic as a starting point, the design team used parametric design software to project a two-dimensional version of the grid on to a three-dimensional CAD model of the bank's interior. These abstract lines were then represented in various ways in the scheme - in the stripe of a bespoke carpet by EGE, for example, and on a feature wall of irregular rhomboid panels finished in gold leaf.

The bank's new corporate identity provided a useful visual jump-off for Robert Majkut Design Studio, but Majkut says translating 2D graphics into a 3D scheme isn't as simple as it might sound. 'Having this particular set of coloUrs as a base was not an easy task,' he says. 'The colour range of black, white and gold looked sleek and elegant in the graphic material, but in the interior it could look very different: a strong, graphic contrast of black and white was further complicated by the presence of gold.'

The solution was to use the gold sparingly for dramatic effect. 'It was important to find how to use the colour gold in a modern way,' says Majkut. 'It has a very strong cultural context and rich symbolic references, but is a bit extravagant. Our idea was to use gold as a counterpoint for the strong contrast of black and white, as if it was an internal layer that is somehow hidden inside and has to be discovered.'

In the reception area the predominant colour is black, with the gold wall behind the reception desk creating a dramatic counterpoint. 'This wall is the climax, the focal point of the narrative that is happening inside the space,' says Majkut.

The reception, with a bespoke desk designed by Robert Majkut Design Studio and made by Yawa Jachts, leads into an elegant waiting room where furniture, including a Zaha Hadid sofa and chairs and a coffee table by B&B Italia, creates a relaxed and comfortable space where bank staff can meet clients and hold informal meetings.

For more privacy, customers are led to one of several meeting rooms decorated with a more subdued colour scheme. 'These are small, intimate spaces, says Majkut, 'yet they are also very modern.'

Majkut describes the materials' palette as being 'carefully chosen for quality and durability. We used glass wall coverings, silk wallpaper and durable yet comfortable carpeting to achieve a whole that is coherent in high quality and aesthetics, yet also long lasting,' he says.

According to Majkut, time was one of the biggest challenges of this project. 'The date of the opening was fixed, and we had to adjust our schedule to that,' he says. 'The conceptual work lasted about six weeks and implementation took about three months. 'Just five months on from the decision to initiate this project the branch was already open to customers, and that was a big success for us.'

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