By Marc Feldman

We love to feature spaces that visually speak to the company’s culture and purpose. With NINE dot ARTS in Denver, we’ve found the ideal subject. While it makes sense that a company specializing in a visual medium would have an office that is visually interesting, in this case, “interesting” blossoms into eclectic, purposeful, engaging and downright amazing.

NINE dot ARTS is a nationally recognized, award-winning art consulting firm that curates art experiences for hospitality, multifamily, corporate office, healthcare, and mixed-use partners, as well as for communities, municipalities and cities. In 2017, they purchased the office of an engineering firm–formerly an industrial warehouse from the 50’s–in Denver’s vibrant Lower Highlands (LoHi) district and transformed it into a colorful, creative, art-filled workspace. Open, high-ceilinged areas filled with natural light take on a mid-century aesthetic with arc lamps, butterfly chairs, Eames-style seating and Noguchi-style coffee tables. Art displays are constantly revolving, with a few select pieces available for purchase. And for an “artful” reuse story, one conference area has a large sliding door crafted from the wooden crates that various art pieces were shipped in, some sent as far as MOMA Mexico City.

As if the initial renovation wasn’t enough, recently–in response to the pandemic–NINE dot ARTS took their transformation in a new direction. They converted several areas of the warehouse into imminently adaptable environments where team members can work individually or together, indoors or outdoors, connected or socially distanced. Along with a spacious kitchen and lounge area, there are soundproof rooms for Zoom meetings, touchless water fountains, a climate-controlled art storage space, an outdoor patio with views of Downtown Denver, and a ramp entrance to roll in large artworks.

While employees can work in individual offices, there are several collaborative spaces to choose from as well. These include an open conference table area set off by a large woven textile curtain–a work of art in itself–plus a gallery-style conference room for art presentations, with a table and doors repurposed from the floor of a bowling alley. And because the office is pet-friendly, team members can “collaborate” with their four-legged associates throughout the day.

NINE dot ARTS has spaces that are ideal for inviting guests to the office as well. For instance, a custom-made elevated lounge area is not only a place for coworkers to collaborate, but also serves as an after-hours spot for community events like Denver Startup Week discussions or laid-back team building movie nights. Plus, the soundproof rooms are used by CEO and Co-founder Martha Weidmann to produce a podcast series titled “Dot Dot Dot: The NINE dot ARTS Podcast,” where she speaks to a wide range of business leaders about how art can create meaningful experiences in the built environment. Many of these interviews serve to animate the data from the firm’s 2021 State of the Art Report which asked nearly 200 professionals from a variety of industries how art influences metrics like employee engagement, branding, ROI and more. Definitely worth a listen.

With concrete floors and visible ductwork throughout the space, NINE dot ARTS offices pay homage to the warehouse their space used to be, while the generous display of imagination, color, texture, gorgeous imagery and intentional whimsy make it unmistakable that the current tenants are all about the business of art. That duality is further echoed in the firm’s new office in Seattle, which inhabits a houseboat afloat on Lake Union.

We applaud NINE dot ARTS for their out-of-this-world vibrant and inspiring workspace!