Inventure Design pulled out all the stops (and corks) for its office. We snapped principal Jim O’Neill in 3118 Richmond Ave, the building it purchased, gutted, renovated for nearly $1M, and moved into a year ago. (The '60s-era Hines property was heavily damaged from a tornado and sat vacant for years.) Inventure’s bright, open lobby has café seating and also displays artwork for sale in partnership with a local gallery. (We would’ve brought that glass installment home, but apparently 35 cents and a lint ball doesn’t cut it.) Hiding behind that wall is a kitchen with built-in kegerator, wet bar, and stocked pantry.

Inventure’s Amy Nicholson tells us the new building envelope lets in 80% of the natural light but rejects 70% of the heat gain. Employees in the open layout (even the principals are mixed in at random, so stop playing Angry Birds) have individual HVAC control. Amy says the hodgepodge carpet is great for showing clients some different options. The office features two conference rooms and two privacy rooms.

In the library, organization rules. To save space, samples are displayed on shifting doors. Some other quirky features of the office: One hallway displays photographs taken by the principals, and Jim does all the building’s landscaping himself. Inventure owns the 13k SF property, but leases out 5,200 SF to two other firms.