LinkedIn

Project Highlights

• We sourced the majority of the interior furnishings from U.S. companies, with a specific focus on suppliers from the Midwest. 

• To realize the overall design vision of a space with a distinctly Omaha feeling, we specced and sourced elements ranging from bold-colored desks, powder-coated lockers, and custom furniture all the way to knick-knacks for shelving units.

• We supported architecture firm Gensler's people-focused approach to the project as a whole, with comfortable and sustainably-made furniture solutions for a wide range of spaces and uses.

Right from the start, we knew working on LinkedIn Omaha would be a unique experience. Architecture firm Gensler, a frequent collaborator of ours, led the way with a powerful design vision that harnessed the distinctive history and aesthetic of Omaha itself. This vision was coupled with LinkedIn’s main goal--to provide their employees working in Omaha with the full suite of office amenities that tech hubs like Seattle, New York, and the Bay Area are typically known for. We fully embraced this project’s local employee-focused mindset, working to source furniture and decor from U.S. companies whenever possible, with a special emphasis on those from the Midwest. For decor items, we seized the opportunity to go shopping at local markets in Omaha itself. 

On this project in particular, furnishings and interiors were designed through very close coordination between us and Gensler, resulting in a tangible harmony between components across the space. We both used Midwestern supplier Urban Evolutions for wood finishings on architectural elements as well as furniture pieces throughout the building. Nearly all of these finishings incorporated reclaimed ash veneer, stained in four different tones. Sourcing the finishings from the same supplier meant that the look was seamless across many elements and scales. Plus, by working with wood reclamation experts, we jointly brought an important sustainability element to the space. 

The design vision for the workspaces emphasized color as both a mood enhancer and a way to delineate space. The first floor in particular flaunted the boldest of colors, like this playful bright yellow. We partnered with Pair, unparalleled champions of stylish, functional office design, to spec furnishings for the workspaces. The first floor features desks, tables, and chairs from Pair, plus custom combination locker-bookcase units they designed for the project that added another opportunity for an application of color. The lockers also contain their own power sources, making device charging easy.

We sourced workspace sofas from North Carolina furniture company Bernhardt, with curved shapes that integrate beautifully with the Pair pieces. The sofas have their own power sources under the seats, so it’s a cinch to bring a laptop over for a quick meeting or solo work session. To fit them into the space, we worked closely with Pair on their final block measurements, ensuring that the sofa modules would nest perfectly into the interior locker corners.

To determine the ratio of workspace types, LinkedIn developed their own highly-specific metric system called DWE, or Dynamic Work Environment, which accounts for three main categories of employees--remote, hybrid, and resident. We met their specific needs with a combination of dedicated individual desks, shared tables for hot-desking, and spaces meant for informal collaboration. We also ensured that these different types of spaces were visually demarcated, while also tying into the broader color and material story of the space. Chairs from New Jersey–based Stylex Seating populate the hot-desking and collaboration areas, with fun yellow metal bases and armrests. And a yellow laminate-topped Pair table meant as a collaborative space shows off a plywood reveal on the edges, visually bridging the gap to the wood-topped desks around it.

Not all the work areas were designed with yellow as the main color. These two were decked out in blush and seafoam green tones. As in the rest of the spaces, we worked collaboratively with Gensler to coordinate colors, ensuring that the core custom Pair pieces and the additional furniture we sourced fit seamlessly into their interior color choices. 

Thoughtfully designed, amenity-rich spaces are now a staple in San Francisco’s tech culture, but they haven’t yet become prevalent in every part of the U.S. Since the Omaha location was part of broader team growth for LinkedIn, they especially wanted to build a space that their people would genuinely enjoy working in. Hence, they tasked us and Gensler with bringing a wellbeing-focused ethos and aesthetic to this new location. One of the many places where this can be seen is in the airy, welcoming dining areas, meant to evoke the comfy-yet-chic feel of your favorite local restaurant.

The first dining area pictured above, which LinkedIn calls their Community Engagement space, is one of the primary entryways into the building. We sourced all the loose furniture seen here, using color that’s subtler than in the workspaces but still imbues the space with a sense of play. The furniture, primarily from U.S.-based companies, is meant to fit the sunny, light overall ambiance. The green mobile table on casters and the chairs around it is by RAD and Corral, respectively, two companies based in California. We added central dining tables by Danish company Bla Station, which we equipped with Pair’s Bento elements. A flexible, tidy power and data solution, Bento creates easy cable access through a metal door on any tabletop. And it can be color matched to the exact color Gensler attributed to the space. This quick adaptation ensured that the dining tables also served as places for quick meetings or laptop-based work.

The second space brings a smorgasbord of local designers together, all contributing to an upbeat, modern look. Bolt-down stools from Grand Rapids Chair Company, specialists in restaurant furniture, add an authentic coffee-shop feel. The tables, all of which are from Urban Evolutions, feature reclaimed ash veneers that match the ceiling panels, which Gensler also developed with Urban Evolutions. We furnished the space with a range of alternating chairs, creating a vibe of casual eclecticism. The wooden chairs on the right and end are by women-owned Kansas company Hightower, while the black steel case chair is from Minnesota designers Blu Dot. The gray chair with the white frame, by Dutch company DeVorm, may be the odd chair out origin-wise, but it’s sustainably made from stain-resistant PET felt produced from recycled plastic bottles.

Careful color-matching didn’t just happen in the workspaces. In this cafe space, Gensler designed the metal element fastened to the ceiling and the long table, which was bolted to the ground. We sourced stools with custom powder-coated bases to be the perfect match for the other architectural elements. 

Our team at two decor knows that finishing touches can transform a space, giving it a lived-in, cared-for vibe. two decor chooses pieces with great care, sourcing both online and in person, with vendors ranging from eBay to local stores. two decor outfitted the built-in shelving unit around the blue bench, in the library-style room pictured above, curating an eclectic mix of books, plants, framed graphics, ceramics, and other components that both fits into the vibe of the broader project and elevates the space.

Seen here is a railcar, a unique type of space first conceived of for LinkedIn’s Omaha campus. Each one is a long hallway outfitted with shared teamwork and lounging areas. It serves as an entryway to each neighborhood and offers a more open area than the workspaces. In one of these railcars, two decor worked to outfit Gensler’s built-in shelving unit with decor that brought the space to life, including objects purchased at a local vintage shop. As a final detail, they left a few open modules, giving employees the chance to add their own pieces—and personalities—over time. We provided the collaboration table and the stools, taking care to choose both backless and backed stools to accommodate different body types. 

Gensler didn’t shy away from brave, exciting choices for LinkedIn’s Omaha office. In many cases, our job as partners to the design team was to select simple, high-quality, elegant pieces to blend in with the bold architectural elements, rather than distracting from or overpowering them. Some of our favorite elements by Gensler include a stunning double-floor-height custom white masonry wall accompanied by built-in banquettes, which incorporate the repurposed ash veneer seen throughout the building. In the same central space, we supplied the loose square tables and chairs as well as the large square eight-top table on the bottom floor. We also sourced the stools on the mezzanine level. 

Gensler’s eye-catching details abound throughout the space, providing us lots of opportunities to complement them. The blue pattern seen in the background in one dining space was their custom design; we supplied the table and chair. 

In another dining space with a blue color scheme, we designed a custom table manufactured by Urban Evolutions, featuring a rounded foot that references the feet of Pair Belay desks, providing a subtle design throughline across different spaces. 

And in a room with a graphic wall honoring Omaha’s history as a livestock producer, we chose chairs from Bernhardt, the supplier from North Carolina that designed the couches in the workspaces above. For pieces like this, we seek to select from U.S. manufacturers without having to request expensive customization. Though they may look like it, these chairs weren’t custom upholstered: instead, we carefully selected from available fabrics to match the graphics in the space.