Blue Compass Interactive, a web design and online marketing company that was founded nine years ago in a basement, now occupies office space that virtually shouts renewal and provides a lesson in how 35-year-old office buildings can be designed for a millennial workforce.

Cary Coppola, CEO, and Drew Harden, president, are the founders who led their crew of 20- and 30-year-olds in late April to the second floor of 1601 48th St. in West Des Moines, part of a two-building parcel that was bought for $9 million by California investor Kaar Field.

On the exterior, the buildings have a clean and contemporary look, though they are receiving a much-needed coat of paint this summer. The offices on the second floor of 1601 were pretty standard design for the 1980s. Low ceilings, narrow doorways, walled-off conference rooms, cubicles that shielded much of the natural light filtering through large exterior windows.

With Field’s encouragement, Coppola and Harden had walls and doors removed. The ceiling was discarded, as were panels that had been glued to steel posts to create a boxed-beam look.

As a result, client conferences are held in a room separated from the reception area by glass doors. The lighting has been softened. Doorways are wide enough to walk through three or four abreast. What old-timers would call a lounge actually is a collaborative workspace with an L-shaped couch and an elevated worktable. Employees can leave their desks and work in the lounge if they are of a mind to.

Beyond the reception area and through that wide doorway, the office space is wide open and provides views of a park-like setting around the buildings. Offices for Coppola, Harden and three directors also have wide, doorless entryways.

The idea is that if someone needs access to leadership, they can walk right in. Harden’s office includes a hidden gem. For days when he doesn’t bring a sport coat to work and finds out on short notice that he needs one, he simply swings a painting away from the wall to reveal a coat, ready to wear.

There are bits of similar whimsy throughout the office. There are flat-screen televisions in every room as well as an open cafeteria that also serves as a meeting area. Internet service is provided by wireless routers. The idea is to have an open, appealing office where you can work in virtually any corner, Coppola said. This is, after all, a business office, though Coppola admits that he has pedaled his bicycle through the office. Blue Compass has 30 employees — well more than half of them women — who can bring their children to work.

Justin Lossner, a broker with JLL who represents the building owner, said that Field asked Coppola and Harden how the building could be rebranded. They provided a firsthand demonstration.

As a result of improvements, leasing in the two buildings has increased to 85 percent from 58 percent, and leases have been signed for five users who will occupy a total of 25,411 square feet, Lossner said.

So what did it cost? Lossner and the business partners aren’t saying, other than to note that Blue Compass and Field came close to splitting the expense.