Tour LinkedIn's New York Offices, Where There's a Speakeasy and a Movie Theater The professional networking platform is big on color, collaboration and nostalgia.
By Lydia Belanger •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
To enter the Empire State Building is to transport yourself back to a time of jolly bellhops, Art Deco-designed elevators and wall-to-wall marble. But leave the dimly lit lobby for the 28th floor and that all changes. The elevator doors open, revealing a vibrant, glowing blue corridor -- your gateway to LinkedIn's New York offices.
Occupying six and a half floors of the iconic skyscraper, the office is peppered with breakout rooms, a fitness center and pops of color. But around any given corner you might find a nod to a bygone era, such as black-and-white photos and films or a hidden Prohibition era speakeasy.
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The company worked with Interior Architects on the design vision for the 33,005-square-foot space on the 28th floor, guided in part by the goal of making it feel like a "destination." According to IA, the floor is modeled after the ""club level" of a hotel with amenities like a café, screening room, fitness room, billiards lounge and collaborative spaces."
Click through to see this one-of-a-kind office space for yourself.
LinkedInBeckoning blue
This vibrant, glowing blue corridor is the gateway to LinkedIn's New York offices.
Lydia BelangerValues stated
Company values are front and center in the 28th floor entryway. "We strongly believe that a workplace is a physical embodiment of a culture," a LinkedIn spokesperson told Entrepreneur. "Everything pulled into the design of this space is in relation to LinkedIn's values."
LinkedInLounge space
LinkedIn provides many informal, less structured lounge spaces where its teams can collaborate and converse. The company says its goal is to "evolve the idea of a workspace."
LinkedInCatch a flick
A movie theater allows employees to take a break or wind down by watching films or playing games together.
LinkedInThe Empire Cafe
Employees gather for meals, snacks and coffee in the pantry and cafeteria areas, the largest of which is on the 28th floor. LinkedIn uses the space featuring clean lines, muted colors and modern aesthetics for events such as "Cinco de Linco" and "Bring in Your Parents Day."
LinkedInTimeless meets contemporary
The airy cafeteria area on the 28th floor features natural light accented by LinkedIn's signature blue walls and black and white photographs. This combination of timeless and contemporary touches defines the entire office's design.
Lydia BelangerRight on cue
The corner of the cafeteria area features not a ping-pong table, as the startup stereotype goes, but a pool table. It invites employees from different departments and teams to play together and form relationships. (The black hats on the wall double as lampshades.)
LinkedInSee yourself
A connecting hallway is plastered with wallpaper adorned with photo frames. It reads "Picture Yourself," the name of a campaign through which LinkedIn encourages members to harness their passions and launch new careers.
LinkedInPop of color
In this casual, funky meeting area, known as the "red room," form and function vie for dominance. Ultimately, it's another options for employees to have private conversations away from the open workspace area.
LinkedInPersonal touches
"LinkedIn requested that IA include opportunities for personalization and branding within the design of the floor," the design firm shared in a statement to Entrepreneur. This wall features black and white photos of employees' pets.
LinkedIn'They pace a lot'
Height-adjustable workstations are clustered in groups. "The LinkedIn sales teams spend a lot of time on their phone headsets so it was important that they not face one another like they would in a typical benching layout, and also, that they have paths to walk on while they are on the phone," IA shared with Entrepreneur. "They pace a lot."
LinkedInNooks and crannies
LinkedIn has some fun with the naming of its conference and breakout rooms. This one called "Doyers St.," is one of a series of rooms named after "hidden" or tertiary New York streets that aren't well known. Doyers Street is a 200-foot-long street in Manhattan's Chinatown neighborhood. The corridors throughout the office also contain meeting nooks like the one pictured above.
LinkedInThe Eighth Wonder
The King Kong conference room, pictured here, is on the 24th floor. "We are a global company so it's important that we provide the proper resources for our teams to connect with one another from different cities, countries, and even continents, so our conference rooms come equipped with the tools to make that happen," a LinkedIn spokesperson said.
LinkedInFor those in the know
One of these 125 rotary phones is an active landline, which unlocks a secret room. To unlock the door that lead to the secret room, guests have to pick up that one particular phone, then hang it up. Employees can call the phone to help guests find it more easily by following the ringing.
LinkedInHappy hours back in time
The landline-controlled door opens into a speakeasy, the most popular spot in the office. The vintage-inspired decor and dim lighting make you feel as though you've been transported back to the Prohibition era. There, employees hold a happy hour series called "Beers for My Peers" on Thursdays at 4 p.m.
LinkedInOn the 'club level'
The "club level" of the LinkedIn offices naturally features a colorfully equipped fitness room.
