buildings of distinction
“I
T’S A LARGE LOBBY — how do we make that feel like a home?”
Bateman says. “We created the sitting areas. That large piece that’s
the focal point when you walk in is a warm piece that can be
accessorized.”
The check-writing stand and the tellers are to the left.
“You need the check-writing stand,” Bateman says. “It’s a place
that’s convenient to the customers but we didn’t want to block the
view to the sitting area that gives the warm feel.”
Offices are entered through a hallway that begins to the right.
There are no open desks in the lobby.
“A bank isn’t a place to socialize,” says Sabrina Stephens, senior vice
president, market president and someone who has been around the
Wilmington branch since it opened in 2008. “We wanted to give our
customers some privacy.”
The bank’s headquarters is in Raleigh but the décor is strictly
coastal, reflecting the proximity to Wrightsville Beach.
“That was intentional,” Bateman says. “We don’t have the coastal
look in Wake County. We wanted to have the beach flavor. The
colors and the woods are lighter. Even the desks, in the offices, are a
little bit lighter wood than the darker woods used in Wake County.
I used blues and greens throughout just giving the flavor while main-taining
the official office look. The colors, the lamps and the artwork
The check-writing station, a must for a bank, is to the left as customers
enter the lobby, keeping it from being the focal point. Business is
transacted in offices, giving clients privacy. Besides ample break room
space for employees to cook and eat meals, the third floor holds a
second larger conference room.
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used give us that beach flavor.”
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