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Leaving behind a stark corporate office in Tempe, Atmosphere relocated to the Valley’s burgeoning urban center of Downtown Phoenix at the end of 2016.
Located on the northeast corner of Central Avenue and McKinley Street — opposite the former Circles Records building — Atmosphere’s Phoenix office is one of six across the country.
With sales of $190 million, the company has over 200 employees across six U.S. locations, according to Regional Vice President Jayme Arezzo. It is also an authorized dealer of Steelcase office furniture.
As the name suggests, Atmosphere’s business involves furnishing commercial office spaces (interiors) with furniture and architectural pieces that are both functional and stylish. And though its name is new, the business didn’t exactly pop up overnight.
Atmosphere actually has deep roots in Arizona dating back to 1912 when it was the local Walsh Bros. office furniture company. After changing hands a few times, it became Atmosphere in 2015.
With a background in real estate, Arezzo said he’s always been a fan of downtowns and investing in a city’s center. That’s a big part of what drew him to look to Downtown Phoenix.
“The places that are smart are reinvesting in those areas, and you can see that happening here,” he said.
Noting the work Arizona State University has put into rebuilding downtown, and the other business and services that have sprung up in recent years, Arezzo said Atmosphere had a “desire to be part of the renaissance.”
“We were trying to express the small business mentality that’s always existed in our people,” he said, “and the Evans Churchill neighborhood helps us to express that culture.”
Atmosphere’s new office is a far cry from the corporate space they left behind. The space is light and airy, with pops of color and design-forward furnishings that would be the envy of any office or home.
Together with RSP Architects and nearby design and build firm Patry Building Company, Atmosphere reinvented two historic brick buildings, which share a common wall, along Central Avenue just north of McKinley.
The entrance to the nearly 15,000-square-foot combined office features a large garage door that was retrofitted to allow the interior to blend with the exterior patio (weather permitting).
Exposed beams and red brick walls bring a raw feel to the space, offering a nice contrast with the furniture pieces.
As well as Atmosphere’s office, the space is a showroom to inspire clients to see different ways employees can function outside of traditional cubicles.
Colorful lounge-style seating, small workstations of various postures, cocoon-like seating with sound panels and foot rests, and mid-century inspired furniture fill the space.
And according to Arezzo, a future collaboration between Atmosphere and West Elm is also in the works. After branching out with its own commercial furniture line West Elm Workspace, the popular home decor and furniture is slated to occupy the beautiful mezzanine level — with original 1920s hardwood floors.