im pretty sure i toured these apartments as well in person years ago (from denver as well).

I would keep things simple and uncluttered to compliment the clean lines of the space. A lot of those old loft buildings have great bones.

if they allow you to paint, i would suggest doing the interior of the kitchen a fun bold accent color (backsplash, above the cabinets, the wall that the floating counter is anchored on and interior edges) and leave the walls facing out into the main living space white. Same with the closet, could be fun to make it pop with color since its open

figure out how to make use of the height of the space, maybe with some tall artwork or modern hanging plants (check out MudPuppy, a local colorado ceramic maker who makes beautiful modern hanging plant holders http://www.etsy.com/shop/mudpuppy)

I'm not in my element in a place like this, but I do know I love the view of that checkerboard tile in golden light through the bathroom doorway. Oh, and the beautiful wood floor, too!

An art deco building - I love it! I'd play up that style. For sophisticated, go New York Art Deco, for fun go Miami Art Deco, for glamorous go Los Angeles Art Deco.

New York Art Deco:
http://corenyc.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/The_Walker-20551.jpg

Miami Art Deco:
http://www.interiordesignpro.org/design-photos/big/-w4b4753-01.jpg

Los Angeles Art Deco:
http://smallshopstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/atmosphere-interior-design-kelly-wearstler-flair.png

If you are wondering how I knew the building was art deco, I could tell by the column style and the tall slender windows.

Framed Peyton Manning poster.

I'd skirt the bar table in the kitchen in something like a clean bright white fabric. If possible I"d make sure the place was painted bright white (not beige).

Thank you so far for the great ideas! Since is it is a rental, I am not able to paint. Keep the ideas coming!!

Art deco with 80's backbones can be very difficult to do. In order to avoid a too 80's feel and for a little privacy may I suggest long linen drapes in a french taupe. And perhaps skirting the island in heavy cloth like a muslin.
If it were my space I'd seek inspiration from anything by or about Coco Chanel.

It's a great place. Congratulations. Please consider AT tour when you are done.

Embrace the contrast of art deco/modern. For example, a framed deco ski poster over a modern sofa. Or an antique-looking buffet flanked by modern chairs. Mix it up, and have fun with colors - the white walls and light floors can take it.

Such an interesting space. I'd love to see the "after" pics!

I really like the suggestion of the New York art deco. The room in the image posted looks fantastic, and all of those design elements could translate really well to this space. I also echo the tip above regarding the bar table/counter- skirting it with hanging fabric or a crisp, neutral table cloth would do it wonders.

One suggestion would be large artwork on the largest wall next to those windows- like one very large painting. Also, kind of a wacky suggestion, but with those high ceilings and floating walls, you could even hang an awesome Alexander Calder-inspired mobile??

For something that would bridge the gap between historic and modern/contemporary, even though it has nothing to do with art deco, I would suggest an oriental or Persian rug with geometric designs in deep blues and reds. Those tend to look nice on wood floors, and are great backdrops for modern furniture that can be placed on top of them.

Finally, lose the (presumably fake) plants on the kitchen beam :) I suppose a few house plants or cacti might look okay up there, but I'd steer more towards large [non-living] accessories like vases or contemporary-looking baskets.

*clarification: I think what I'm trying to describe ^ with the rug suggestion is a Kilim rug. I realized that oriental and Persian are pretty big labels to go by, but I think that a Kilim rug specifically would look good in the space!

and P.S. would love to see the after!

If you want to add architectural detail to the plain box around the kitchen area you could hang sections of moulding on picture hooks. If you use some of those removeable hooks it wouldn't make a mess you'd need to fix later. Alternatively, artwork containing architectural details would work. That section seems to be very jarring without actually adding anything besides function. You could also add freestanding cabinets or shelving to change the look of the plain white walls there, or even make a fake column or two. A lot depends on what look you prefer. A friend of mine wasn't allowed to paint or change her cabinets so she made fabric "slipcovers" for the doors. You could make something like that using clear vinyl pockets on the front to hold photos or whatever. Not sure how she did it, should be simple enough to fake up though. You could also hang decorative panels on the cabinet doors using some of that over the door hardware to avoid making any holes.

http://www.postermuseum.com/ in TriBeCa has great, but expensive, posters in very large sizes. People buy them for the neighborhood lofts. You can look for ArtDeco here, or in flea markets, eBay, etc.

Beyond this, can't say - need a floor plan, ceiling height and info about your style, etc.

no paint just means vinyl, wallpaper, large artwork, fabric, anything really (painted corkboards or magnetic sheets can be hung and used in lieu of paint on the walls and also serve as a bulletin)... i work in nyc real estate, i've seen apartments that look exactly like that here and the different elements of the space just make it so much fun to customize to your liking. cant wait to see what you do with it! =)