We live in a time when our homes need to be everything to us. It needs to be the perfect place to work, rest, play, eat, and stay fit. There is no denying that investing in our homes is one of the smartest financial strategies we can do for ourselves and our families. When our homes are beautiful and comfortable, they increase in value, and it makes us and the members of our families grow healthy and productive, too.
One of the best places in your home that you can invest in is your gym. Since public gyms were considered non-essential services at the height of the pandemic, we never know when we might lose our gym privileges if a new pandemic comes along. A home gym can be your saving grace if lockdowns take place again.
And here’s the best part: Designing your home gym means you can incorporate equipment and installments that you will genuinely use, and you can make it pretty as well. There’s no reason why your home gym can’t look straight out of Pinterest. Here are some tips for designing a pretty and aesthetically pleasing home gym.
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Follow basic interior design rules
Just because home gyms need to be functional, it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice aesthetics altogether. The same basic rules for other areas in your home apply, and here are some keywords you need to remember when trying to decide on the layout, design, look, and feel of your home gym:
- Balance, which is all about creating a sense of equilibrium in the space
- Rhythm, which means there must be a pattern or repetitiveness in your space, and this can be achieved by providing a common thread through color, material, or texture
- Harmony, which is all about ensuring that all the various design elements come together harmoniously, even if they may be different
- An emphasis which says that your gym needs to have a focal point upon which every other layout decision is made
- Scale and proportion, which is all about ensuring that the ratio between the sizes of different areas make sense and that all the different elements are perfectly to scale
If you have a good sense of what makes a space feel balanced, you only need to apply that same sense to your home gym. Don’t sacrifice look and atmosphere for function!
Hire tried-and-tested contractors and specialists
When looking for contractors or construction experts to work with, take a gander at their portfolio and ask for reviews from clients they have worked for in the past. You can also consider working with companies whose primary service is sports court surfacing, especially if there is a specific sport you want to master or use as your daily exercise. These contractors are well-versed in what looks good and the kind of materials that are safest and most durable.
Use exposed beams
It doesn’t matter how high your ceiling is (unless it’s super-low)—exposed beams can make your home gym look even more remarkable. Here are some aesthetic benefits of exposed beams:
- They draw up the eyes, which makes your home gym look bigger than it is.
- Concrete and big windows tend to make a room feel cold and detached, so exposed beams made of warm-toned wood can go a long way in adding coziness and intimacy to the gym.
- It’s a big design statement that doesn’t take up any square footage from your home gym.
Let natural light in
There’s a reason why big windows and natural light are some of the most sought-after features in residential property. They immediately make a space look good. Have you ever noticed how photographers prefer natural light over studio or artificial lighting? It’s because the light from the sun adds a warm glow to a space that no fixture can fully replicate. If your home gym has windows, make sure any piece of equipment or furniture does not block it.
You can even take it a step further by placing your home gym in a casita or a separate suite in your house, which can allow you to extend the indoors and the outdoors. Wall-to-wall glass panels will allow as much natural light as possible, but if you also have plenty of greenery surrounding your property, it will feel like you’re working out in paradise or a scenic forest.
When designing your home gym, you don’t need to scrimp on design. Make it as stunning as possible and allow this aesthetic value to encourage you and your family to work out every day.