Seeking to increase square footage and offer expanded amenities, the owners of Ricochet – one of the first gaming-focused businesses in the Des Moines, Iowa metro – engaged RDG designers to conceive a new location adjacent to the city’s lively Court Avenue Cultural Entertainment District. Prioritizing community-based games over individual-based games, Ricochet is intended to be a space that fosters socialization and camaraderie and instills a sense of warmth and whimsy for its patrons.

To create a feeling of nostalgia, RDG’s design team looked for ways to incorporate found objects into the space: high school gymnasium scoreboards serve as wall art, bowling alley lanes were repurposed to create a custom bar top and poster art installed around the lounge is inspired by memorable pop culture moments. Distressed leather sofas located in the seating areas recall the feeling of hanging out in a garage lounge, while the interior color palette combines the bar’s branded hues (navy and orange/red) with colors from classic games (greens, blues, reds and blacks) to further evoke feelings of familiarity and fun.

Set into this unique and modern interior, RDG's lighting design for the interactive space creates presence and movement throughout to encourage gameplay and fun. The design's visually interesting display can be seen from down Court Avenue and across Cowles Commons, drawing patrons into the space from afar.