Portfolio: My House Bank

When Cariparma Crédit Agricole (Montrouge, France) – the French network of cooperative and mutual banks – set out to create a new service concept to enhance its customer-banking relationships, it called upon Milan-based design firm DINN!.

The result: My House Bank, which combines the aesthetics of a private home with pared-down design to support an easy, relaxed and familiar customer experience. “A typical bank has 80 percent of its space [dedicated to] management offices, and 20 percent for public areas. For My House Bank, that proportion is reversed,” says DINN!’s chairman and founder, Massimo Fabbro.

This is evident by the bank’s open layout, where visitors are personally greeted upon entering. Customers and associates can discuss sensitive financial matters in designated private service areas, while guests can also schedule appointments online. The whole process, explains Fabbro, is meant to be very simple, while in general, the bank’s design supports total accessibility to customers.

The interior conveys a casual atmosphere. Attention-grabbing, triangular wall- and ceiling-coverings demarcate the private service spaces, including the concierge area. Coverings in the service areas visually lower the ceiling, “embracing the clients,” according to DINN!’s design director, Elena Prontera. Sliding glass doors allow additional privacy for discussions in these areas, while visually sustaining the openness and accessibility of the space.

Overall, the design elements are minimalistic, while accents of green and yellow reflect the brand’s colors. Lighting is warm, and dimmed illumination in the perimeter areas recalls the privacy of a domestic setting. Various toned woods throughout complement the sleek environment. 

Limited in-store technology supports greater human interaction between the bank’s staff and its visitors, while projecting a “warm interior design,” and one that isn’t “digital-based,” Fabbro explains.

DINN! also collaborated with Cariparma Crédit Agricole and My House Bank to ensure a well-rounded experience that would supplement its customer-centric design intent.

“Because the [design] concept was changing the way the bank managed the customer … the employees had to change their behavior; they [now] have to stand up and welcome the customer,” Fabbro says.

And unlike some banks in the region, “you don’t have to take a ticket; you don’t have to wait. Someone will welcome you [immediately] and ask how they can serve you,” Fabbro says of the bank’s customers-first attitude. “The [retailer-client] relationship becomes stronger when the customer is considered a guest.”