When Todd van der Kruik read a story about artists creating video games to display their art, he thought carpet.

Not right away, though. Van der Kruik, who’s the lead designer for carpet manufacturer and designer Bentley Mills Inc. in the City of Industry, first thought about the video-game craze of the 1980s and the popularity of arcades.

That inspired him to create a pattern called Arcade Legend. Launched two years ago, the product comes in only one pattern on uniform carpet squares called tiles. But the pattern is highly flexible and allows interior designers to install it in myriad ways so that it looks different depending on how the tiles are placed. The 13 color options enable designers to define pathways or mark off different zones within offices, such as gathering areas, yet still have a cohesive look, said Sherry Dreger, vice president of marketing.

The product quickly gained popularity, she said. Part of the reason might be the trend toward more communal work spaces.

“The inspiration for me was looking back at a period of time and seeing a crossover of that communal (arcade) space with the offices of today, where people are interacting in communal spaces,” van der Kruik said.

– Carol Lawrence