The Flying Pickle came to life in a partnership with Cushing Terrell, a multidisciplinary design team that focuses on providing systems and spaces that help people live their best lives. At its inception, “we were the core and shell designers for the industrial warehouse that would become the home of The Flying Pickle,” explains Josh Shiverick, Project Manager at Cushing Terrell. The overall design layout and construction process took about a year to complete. Starting the design in January 2023, the team finished it in a compressed schedule of eight weeks.
The first step in this project started with extensive research on the origins of pickleball. The sport was invented on Bainbridge Island in the Puget Sound, “so we were inspired to focus on the blues of water, greens of biophilia, and the woods of the Pacific Northwest,” says Interior Designer, Jill Lee. The team aimed to make the space feel less industrial and more serene.
The Flying Pickle owners had ample experience with the game of pickleball, so they were able to provide input on what an optimal atmosphere would encompass, such as court lighting and flooring material. Beyond that, Cushing Terrell was granted creative freedom to explore the “colorful, creative, energetic, club atmosphere [during] visioning sessions with our client,” Lee says. From there, the team would take those dreams and apply their multidisciplinary expertise, like architecture, interior design, and engineering, to bring them to life.
The “reverse mullet” concept is something Cushing Terrell used to envision the overall layout of the club. Lee explains it as a “party in the front and business in the back – and by business we mean playing the game.” This design gives customers an inviting feel when they first walk in. The front of the club serves as the community space with a pro shop, restaurant, and lounge. As you walk further in, the energy shifts to a more competitive feel as the rest of the club is exposed, revealing an expansive space filled with 17 courts and a mezzanine area for viewing. “The energy flexes along the building’s ‘spine’ with spectator areas sectioned off through the center and in between some of the courts,” Lee adds.
Graphic Designer, Sarah Rose Andrew of Gyst Design, was also brought in by The Flying Pickle. From the start, she had worked very closely with the owners on branding for the club, so she was very aware of the overall vision. “It was great to collaborate with her on the environmental wall graphics, interior signage, and unique touches that brought the brand from paper to real life,” Lee remarks.
Cushing Terrell has had experience designing several other sports-related facilities, but The Flying Pickle was their first pickleball partnership. The union between the two companies established “trust and [a] great working relationship,” explains Shiverick, giving reason as to why Cushing Terrell was selected for the project. It took lessons learned from previous ventures, detailed research to grasp the origins of pickleball itself, and critical knowledge on factors like acoustic solutions and space planning to bring their creative vision to reality.
