Perhaps you’ve noticed that businesses in the service sector are changing the way they interact with customers, from bank branches that double as coffee shops to grocery stores that deliver direct to doorsteps. Even real-estate agencies are making the shift: In August, MileHiModern, an independent brand within LIV | Sotheby’s International Realty, debuted a real estate “gallery” in LoHi (at 2015 W. 32nd Ave.), where an “immersive buying experience” allows shoppers to browse property listings on six 60-inch touch-screens, see and touch the finishes available at new residential developments, and meet with design teams to customize their dream homes.

The sleek and stylish space was inspired by the real estate team’s foray into new development, according to MileHiModern’s co-owner Peter Blank. He and partner Carmelo Paglialunga had long specialized in marketing modern properties in Denver’s residential real estate market; about three years ago, the team began representing new residential developments as well. “LoHi is the perfect location for us because we do so much business in north Denver,” Blank says of the firm’s new location (MileHiModern’s first office, at 255 Clayton Street in Cherry Creek North, opened in 2015). “LoHi is cool, hip, and modern, and so many buyers—especially millennials and young professionals—live in this part of town.”

MileHiModern gallery art photo courtesy of MileHiModern
MileHiModern’s gallery-like showroom is outfitted with stylish furniture and a rotating collection of artwork by local artists. Photo courtesy of MileHiModern

For the gallery, Blank envisioned a “cool, artsy space,” he says. “It’s so ‘non-real estate office’—there are no cubicles or agents sitting behind computers.” Instead, there’s a long farm table, soft lighting, hair-on-hide rugs, and a rotating art collection featuring works by Denver artists; currently, pieces represented by the Abend Gallery are on display.

“It was important that the space look good, have good lighting, and feel very residential and airy,” Blank says. “We didn’t want the space to be super modern or traditional, just relatable and relaxing to most people walking in.”

The MileHiModern team represents new developments including Factory Flats, Aspen Row at Sloans Lake, Kasita on Tennyson, 29 Zen, and Zuni Forty Fourth. In July, the agency sold LoHi’s highest priced single-family home at 2345 W. 32nd Ave., for $1.875 million.