The art of growing together

Senab has been working with SEB's global interior design concept since 2021. In this report, some key people from both parties talk about a close collaboration that has developed over the years. 

THE ART OF GROWING TOGETHER

SEB's new Malmö office between Saluhallen and Malmö Live is located in the city's former port industrial district. From the outside, conversational people can be glimpsed inside the glass slats. On the inside, everyone is welcomed by a lush green wall that creates a vibrant harmony with the openness of the premises. New possibilities grow here.

The impressions do not gather by chance, they are the result of a close collaboration between SEB and Senab - a journey spanning 3 continents, through 17 countries and 41 cities, which has resulted in a comprehensive interior design concept that combines the local with the global.

"When you step into one of our offices abroad, it should almost feel like coming home to Sweden"

- Annika Elmlund, Design Lead at SEB

Annika Elmlund, Design Lead at SEB, stands in the middle of the bright entrance facing the lively meeting point between Neptunigatan and Gibraltargatan in Malmö. She is looking at the magnificent green wall that is finally in place - an interior detail that has a slightly different character for each office but always welcomes employees and customers with a pleasant greenery all over the world. Annika has been the driving force behind the bank's worldwide interior design concept, which is now also in place here.

- SEB has been around for almost 170 years and we want to convey that we will be here for at least another 170. We are a stable partner that is there for our customers throughout their lives - and it should be felt in the room itself. The interior design should reflect our values and what we strive for; to create trust and instill security," says Annika.

For SEB, sustainability is a consistent value and strategy. The interior design concept is an important part of a long-term responsibility for all the bank's investments - the brand, staff, customers, partners and owners.

- "Sustainability is very important to us at SEB, we are at the forefront among the banks. Sustainable furniture costs a little more, but not in the long run," Annika emphasizes.

And for SEB, sustainability is not only about environmentally friendly materials and local production, but also about aesthetic and cultural sustainability. Using Scandinavian design and Nordic furniture creates recognition and a connection to the bank's history and soul.   

- We are fundamentally a Scandinavian bank with our roots in Sweden. This permeates the interior design as a whole, from the floor plan to the conscious choice of furniture. When you step into one of our offices abroad, it should almost feel like you're coming home to Sweden," says Annika.  

THE ART OF GROWING TOGETHER

From creation to community

Johanna Willander, account manager and project manager at Senab, remembers how it all started in the fall of 2020, when the first contacts with Annika and her colleagues at SEB were made. It was the start of an extensive negotiation process with many people involved from Senab, where every detail was carefully discussed. In June the following year, the collaboration landed, and they are embarking on a worldwide journey together.

 

- When we started, there were only three of us at Senab in the SEB project team. Me, Michael Emanuelsson and our interior designer Stina Brahme. Today we are a team of six people who basically work full time with SEB, even though there are more people involved, such as the installers," says Johanna.  

Stina adds:
- "This interior design concept has grown from us and the customer barely knowing each other to creating something big together, in a relatively short time.

As SEB follows its customers around the world, it was important for Annika and her colleagues to find a partner that could support SEB globally.

- Senab, with its long experience, Scandinavian roots and at the same time its international organization and structure, was a fairly obvious choice. In addition, Senab could deliver the volumes, the service and the overall responsibility that we require, Annika clarifies.

"We have become almost more like colleagues than customers and suppliers."

- Johanna Willander, Senab

The collaboration between Senab and SEB has developed into more than a traditional customer-supplier relationship. Annika Elmlund likes to spend one day a week at Senab's head office in Stockholm together with the project managers and architects.

- We have become almost more like colleagues than customers and suppliers. Although you always need traditional meetings, it gives an extra dimension to also work together. In addition to helping us solve certain challenges efficiently, we have also gotten to know each other well," says Johanna.

THE ART OF GROWING TOGETHER

Global concept with local roots

One of the major challenges has been to create a global interior design concept that is also adaptable to local needs.

- The concept has a core standard, a foundation that we do not compromise on. But of course it can be adapted to local needs and budgets," Annika explains.

In addition to Stina Brahme, Karen Holmgren is also an interior designer for SEB at Senab. They have worked closely together to realize this. Not only close to each other, but also close to the customer and in close collaboration with Senab's various suppliers. This is required to build a concept that holds together and can deliver what it promises regardless of the size of the premises, different local needs and priorities in product and material choices.

- The challenge is not so much to meet cultural differences as to meet different local needs, requirements and laws while ensuring that SEB as a brand is perceived in the same way. Even if we work with the same furniture suppliers globally, there are often different partners for logistics, delivery, carpentry, construction and assembly for each country," says Stina.

"The challenge is not so much to meet cultural differences as to meet different local needs, requirements and laws while ensuring that SEB as a brand is perceived in the same way."

- Stina Brahme, Senab

The interiors of offices around the world are more similar than you might think. The local connection in the interior is subordinate to the feel of a modern Scandinavian bank for two reasons. 

- The point of the concept is that the feeling should be the same wherever you are in the world. You should recognize yourself and it should be Scandinavian. This is key to creating a sense of security for our customers, who are often Swedish companies, but also because we don't want to pretend to be a bank we're not. The local connection can be a small detail, a work of art, or that you use the view," says Annika at SEB. 

- For us, the concept work is about constantly balancing between maintaining a common thread and being flexible to meet real needs in everyday life. It's a shared responsibility and an ongoing process," says Stina.

Although it is quite clear in the manuals what Scandinavian is all about, it does not mean that everything is locked in time and space. On the contrary, new ideas that can fit in and solutions that come along are needed for the concept to be viable and the interior design to last.

THE ART OF GROWING TOGETHER

The value of art

SEB is a bank built on entrepreneurship and has always supported entrepreneurs. Therefore, it is perhaps quite natural that they also support the most wayward entrepreneurs - the artists. Martin Joanson is responsible for SEB's extensive art collection and believes that, in addition to being a monetary and cultural investment, it also plays an important role in everyday life at the bank.

 

- Good art makes people open their minds and think differently, especially asking the question "why?". We have examples where employees have struggled with challenges but have come up with solutions after walking around and looking at the art. This doesn't just develop the individual, it develops the whole bank," says Martin.

One of the objectives of the offices is to create an inviting and pleasant working environment with space for meetings.

"My absolute favorite in the interior is a table that is quite deep and specially designed for collaborations. I have one in my office so I can always have an overview of all parts of the interior design concept with, for example, fabric samples, materials and colors," says Annika at SEB.

THE ART OF GROWING TOGETHER

Staying and meeting

One of the objectives of the offices is to create an inviting and pleasant working environment with space for meetings.

Since the coronavirus pandemic, people have been able to start making completely different demands on their workplaces, which is also evident in the banking world.

- "It has to do with everything from belonging and comfort, but also specific and practical things like functions and equipment," says architect Stina.

The office in Arenastaden in Stockholm is SEB's largest and one of the most extensive offices within the bank. The original design was developed by Wingårdhs Arkitektbyrå and has served as inspiration in the development of SEB's other offices. There are a thousand easily accessible bicycle spaces at street level with a workshop and laundry, showers, changing rooms, a large gym with all the equipment and classes in everything from yoga to zumba. There is even a basketball court. The building has three lunch restaurants, various cafés and we have invested heavily in open spaces with many informal and formal types of meeting places.

"We want people to see each other and run into each other. Unexpected encounters can lead to unexpected solutions, but above all it is the basis for an open climate."

- Annika Elmlund, Design Lead at SEB,

- In Arenastaden, just over 6,000 people work in various areas, both in business and IT. So the needs are a little different from those of an ordinary bank branch. But even in a smaller place with 25 employees, the interior design should be imbued with the same idea and meet the needs of the staff, says Annika.

Regardless of the size of the office, it is clear that the floor plans and interiors are created with a focus on the social aspect. Many of the spaces are intertwined, open but also visible through glass partitions and atriums, while there are plenty of places for privacy.

- We want people to see each other and run into each other. Unexpected encounters can lead to unexpected solutions, but above all they are the basis for an open climate. We want to create environments that make customers want to linger - a meeting place that goes beyond the ordinary. When they do, it creates a unique vitality and opportunities for new meetings," says Annika. 

 Stina agrees:
- A good interior energizes everyone in it and helps people come together in everyday life in a better way.

THE ART OF GROWING TOGETHER

Arm's length to the future

The collaboration between SEB and Senab is a living proof of the power of developing together.

- Senab is a supplier that we can grow with. And they are good at responding to our increased needs, for example by appointing more people with the right skills. In this way, we have been able to develop together along the journey," says Annika. 

Stina is also looking forward to future challenges:
- Even though we know a lot, we always learn something new with each project. Interior design is about people, but also about culture and society. This becomes particularly clear when you move between different parts of the world. To solve concrete problems, we therefore also need to challenge ourselves with new impulses and discover other possibilities together with the customer.

"Even though we know a lot, we always learn something new with each project. Interior design is about people, but also about culture and society."

Through close collaboration, shared visions and a strong belief in sustainability, SEB and Senab have created something unique-a global interior design solution that combines the best of Scandinavian design with local adaptations around the world. But the work is not a book you close after the last page.

- Together we put together a puzzle piece by piece, with the goal of creating the right conditions for both us and our customers to develop. That is the only thing that is given from the beginning, everything else we must have an open mind for," concludes Johanna with a smile.

Curious to know more about this project or how we work with our customers?

Welcome to talk more with Johanna Willander

+46 765 33 5052
johanna.willander@senab.com

Photo: Jeff Richt & Johan Sundell