Kiln: Redefining the Coworking Experience

In an unexpected shopping center behind a red brick façade lies a serendipitous treasure. As you open the glass door, you pass through a vestibule into what feels like an art exhibit. Greeted by color, 5-foot-tall posters, 20-foot ceilings, plants, and endless pieces of furniture, your eyes and mind attempt to take everything in. Immediately wondering where you are, you begin to travel down a tunnel of sorts until you reach the heart of it all: the reception. You are at Kiln, the newest coworking space in Littleton, unlike the average coworking space you have been in before. Consisting of open desks, lounge areas, conference rooms, a theater space, private offices, focus rooms, quiet nooks, podcast space and a communal kitchen, Kiln makes it so you never want to leave.

Founders Arian Lewis and Leigh Radford are the minds behind these dynamic spaces. With two locations in Colorado – Littleton and Boulder along with a third coming soon to Fort Collins, their motto is “to elevate the quality of life while people are at work through an ecosystem of people, products, spaces, and places,” said Lewis.

 As both the founder and Chief Creative Officer, Radford exhibits a certain thoughtfulness in his approach to design. With a background in furniture design, Radford has been designing now for over 25 years. He designed coworking spaces in London before coworking was coined a term. This vault of experience now allows Radford to exhibit a certain flair in his design.

“My true skill is understanding people and how they behave in spaces,” Radford said. “Every single thing has a why, and we tell stories with every piece.” 

Radford identifies Kiln’s design as Scandinavian with a touch of industrialism. The industrial side of the design comes from taking awkward and unusual architectural spaces with very raw materials such as concrete, metal or brick and adding a softness to them. The space was previously a gym, but you would never know that due to its transformation and current ambiance.

From solid wood, and steel, to copper pipes, the Kiln team places emphasis on the materials they use. There are no gimmicks, only an “honesty and truth” to the Kiln experience.

The space is infused with color and pattern from a pink conference room, to a black and white room and even a green room, there is no shortage of flair. “We don’t want to create sterile offices,” shared Radford. The boldness stands out where so many coworking spaces choose a subdued palette. With each new location, Kiln is “getting bolder and where we can we push [boundaries].” As a result, no two Kilns are the same.

The Kiln design team lets the context of the space and location guide how they will create their latest and greatest experience. This particular location is heavily trafficked by cyclists, so when designing the space, they included indoor bike storage and a bike repair area with the intention to work in tandem with their member’s lifestyles.

There are other design moments in the space which are equally thoughtful. The Littleton location was previously home to a race track, and “if you look around you’ll see a couple of rooms got racehorses,” Radford revealed. 

The team’s intention is always to respect the history of a location and create spaces where people want to be. “We’re innovating the design quality of their life,” Radford explained, sharing how the food, atmosphere, plants and natural light play an important role in encouraging members to spend their time at Kiln. Radford revealed that people are always inquiring about the art in the spaces, and he suspects it is to bring a bit of that Kiln experience into their homes. The Kiln experience truly influences all aspects of their member’s lives.

Authentic design translates to a unique member experience. Being a member at Kiln means being known. Each Kiln location has a director with the primary responsibility of getting to know each member. 

“Their personalities are infectious,” said Radford when describing the directors. “Their involvement is critical,” fostering the unique DNA of each space.

“Community is the truth of our spaces,” Radford continued, sharing how people make friends, business connections, romantic connections and even the unplanned happenstances that occur which may not have been possible otherwise.

These connections are influenced by the layout of the space. Radford explained that their decision for the reception area to be deeper into the space and not at the entrance was intentional. “We pulled it back to the heart and center of the building, and from there, you are connected to all the communal spaces. By creating this central node for everyone to pass, collisions begin to occur,” all due to how the space is organized.

The idea of Kiln is ever-evolving as the needs of people change. The Kiln team is starting to place more of an emphasis on the hospitality aspect of their product. They provide members with Kombucha on tap (the best The Curio Cabinet Team has had), food to go and an espresso machine with a tutorial to make great coffee. 

The member experience is vital. Kiln is currently investigating how to bring people together in the space for reasons other than work, and plans to expand their offerings based on their findings. 

In the meantime, Radford invites people to come and experience Kiln.

 “Come feel the buzz and energy of the people, it’s infectious and you know it’s the right place to be.”

To learn more about becoming a memeber visit Kiln.com and schedule your tour today.