Look inside the dreamy jewelry headquarters on South Lamar Boulevard.
By Courtney Runn, Photos by Kara E. Henderson
Entering the Kendra Scott headquarters is like walking onto a rom-com set. Women in chic, trendy outfits click down the manicured hallways, navigating the maze of conference rooms with a swipe of a badge. Gold drips from every surface, punctuated by the company’s signature yellow, and everything is Kendra Scott branded, from the weights in the office’s gym to the polishes at the nail salon. If an employee doesn’t have time to grab breakfast on the way to work, there’s a smoothie bar and fully stocked snack kitchen she can peruse.
Deep within the office, the woman responsible for the free pedicures and workout classes and crown-molding-trimmed hallways sits behind a shimmering gold desk. Kendra Scott remembers what it felt like to work long hours in retail only to eat lunch on a mop bucket in a grungy back room. Now, as the CEO of a global jewelry brand, she’s committed to building her “ideal heaven of what a work environment would be.” She starts every day with her namesake smoothie, the Kendra Green Jade (kale, spinach, mango, banana, pineapple, almond milk and vanilla protein), and encourages her employees to take advantage of the healthy options to beat the afternoon slump. (But, of course, her company stocks candy too, she says.)
Photo courtesy of Kendra Scott
The South Lamar Boulevard headquarters reflects Scott’s personal and corporate style, with neutral palettes and pops of colors. From wallpaper made of original jewelry sketches to conference rooms inspired by precious gems, every inch of the space is on brand. The company’s family-first core value also translates to the design, with a nursing room for moms and refrigerators dedicated to storing breast milk. While Scott is passionate about her business, she’s clear with her staff that work is just one part of life, so if they’re struggling to make it to workout classes, she’ll bring the gym to them. According to Scott, the company is more than 96 percent female, and she’s always dreaming up perks for her employees. She wants the office to be their second home.
“There’s no such thing around here as back space or backrooms,” she says. “Every space is beautiful.”
Scott gave us a look inside her dream office and talked about the impact design has on company culture.
ON HER PERSONAL DESIGN STYLE
“I love mixing old with new. I love contemporary art, but I also want a home that’s very comfortable and livable that you feel like you can sit on any chair and any sofa. You don’t have to worry about hurting anything in my house. So, it’s not museum-y at all, but it still is beautiful.”
ON WHERE SHE FINDS HER FAVORITE PIECES
“I love going to all the galleries here. [Gallery] Shoal Creek is one of my favorites. Wally Workman is always doing amazing things. So, I’m always looking at our local art galleries, and they bring in amazing artists. … I love antiques, so I love Jean-Marc at [Jean-Marc Fray French Antiques]. We have a lot of antique, vintage pieces mixed in with the new and contemporary pieces.”
ON WHY EMPLOYERS SHOULD BE INTENTIONAL WITH WORK SPACES
“That’s where a lot of companies are like, ‘That’s where we’re going to save money,’ but they’re actually hurting themselves because they’re not creating happy employees, and we want our team to feel loved, no matter where they are. … No matter where you work within our company, whether you’re here at this amazing headquarters, whether you’re working in our distribution center, whether you’re working in one of our over 95 stores, you have that same warmth and love, and it was important to me that my employees know how much I respect and care for them, and the way that I can show them that respect is…by just giving them an amazing work space.”
ON WHO IS INSPIRING HER RIGHT NOW
“I love [Monique Lhuillier] as a person. … I think she’s approaching the fashion industry with heart and kindness and I really look to people like that, people who are balancing fashion but also…are able to do something good. I look at brands like Tesla and Elon Musk. He is a revolutionary thinker. He’s not just changing industry; he’s changing the world.”
ON HER PHILOSOPHY AS A BOSS
“I think compassion to your employees brings passion to them in their workplace and kindness brings loyalty. If more companies got that, this world would be a different place and the work environment for people would be so different. And I promise you when you do those two things, when you’re compassionate and you’re kind and you show respect, you’ll have employees that will give it their all every single day.”
KENDRA SCOTT’S FAVORITE ARTISTS
Diana Greenberg, Sydney Yeager, Joyce Howell and Roi James