Project Spotlight: LendingTree
Last year we were contacted by KVID to collaborate on their newest project, the LendingTree Headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. LendingTree had just relocated to a new part of the city and needed a revamp of their offices, which Kelley Vieregg of KVID was enthusiastic to lead. Inspired by her visit to the LinkedIn offices in New York City where her son works, Kelley wanted to create a workplace with beautiful design without forgoing the functionality of the space.
The importance of a combined living and working space has risen since people have been working from home and the influence surroundings have on your mood and productivity has become widely apparent. Not only do companies want to boost the sociability of the office, but they want to prove how much they value their workers with beautiful spaces that have a lot of amenities. We sat down with Kelley Vieregg of KVID to talk about her experience in designing the space and Visual Contrast’s role in the final product.
LendingTree desired a space that enhanced productivity and prioritised function, creating an “approachable, authentic, and collaborative” work environment that provides employees with everything they could possibly need. Kelley was motivated by “resimercial” design, where aspects of the home are brought into the contemporary office to make the space more liveable and welcoming, fostering a comfortable workplace. Working with Redline Design Group, the lead architectural and design firm, and PMC, a local furniture dealer, this 200,000 sq ft project is the first resimercial project of its kind in Charlotte and rivals the offices of LinkedIn, Google, and Apple across the country.
Kelley emphasised the role art plays in resimercial design and the importance of art in this project, mentioning that she “wanted art that felt like we had curated a collection” and that was “intentionally selected for each space.” Her goal was to distinguish the LendingTree headquarters from a traditional office building and the art had to facilitate this by tying the space together in a fun and relatable manner, without being too intimidating or complex.
Inspired by KVID’s vision for the space, we curated a collection of pieces that complimented their style, with consideration of the purpose and desired feeling of each room. We wanted these pieces to complement the complexities of the interior design while evoking feelings of inspiration, happiness, and calm. We experimented with different colour combinations, textures, and scale for each piece to make a statement in their respective space.
Although art is only a small piece in the construction and design of an entire building and is usually saved for last, it has the capacity to make a large impact and be the “icing on the cake” of the project. Our objective was to make employees feel inspired when they come into their workplace every day and to create an environment where productivity is enhanced.
The LendingTree offices were a finalist for Interior Design Best of Year award in 2021 from Interior Design Mag and won the Best Office Design from the Business Journal in Charlotte, North Carolina. We feel so lucky to have been involved with this amazing and innovative project and are so proud of the outcome.
Special thanks to MB Productions and Brie Williams for the photography.
