Do not ask Dani Arps for beer kegs, ball pits or beanbag chairs -- the interior designer won’t give them to you. As frat-minded features have become ubiquitous in startup offices, often in an attempt to communicate youthful energy, Arps has made a name for herself by doing the complete opposite: forcing entrepreneurs to act like adults.
“An office can be fun without being infantile,” the 33-year-old says. Since launching her eponymous firm in New York in 2014, Arps has designed workspaces for such brands as General Assembly, Venmo, Contently and SeatGeek, and has become an expert at convincing 20-somethings that an office can foster creativity without looking like a dorm room. Her portfolio contains visually quiet workspaces with neutral tones rather than brand-driven patterns. She nods to clients’ personalities with restraint, like in a recent project where artisan-made caricatures of employees line the lunchroom wall. Her preferred ergonomic modular furniture (most of which she designs herself) can easily transition from meeting to meeting.