Home Gyms: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

When it comes to creating a home gym, we often face a design dilemma: Where do you put it so folks will use it?

We tend to think that locating exercise space in a garage or basement is just … meh. We often find that those musty storage areas are uninviting, and they don’t motivate homeowners to want to use them. In our own home, we keep our workout gear in our den because we find it to be so much nicer and easier to use there. Of course, this means the equipment has to look good, or at least nice enough that it looks like a feature rather than an eyesore. We can usually accomplish this for our project homes, too; it just requires a little extra thought and planning.

One client of ours, who is a business consultant and investor, has his equipment in his very large cherry-lined office. One side of the room features all of his free weights, weight machine, and aerobic equipment, and the other side houses several computers and monitors, all on a low, built-in 30ft desk. Above the desk are huge panoramic windows overlooking his beautiful yard. It is a total “left brain/right brain” room, and it is very appealing. A nice place to spend 8+ hrs a day.

When creating a new home gym in the main living area of a home, we look for an out-of-the-way spot that offers plenty of room to move. We also look for bright natural light, and nice easy-clean finishes on floors and walls, as well. We like to include multimedia elements, such as radio speakers and flatscreen TVs, to add an entertainment element to the overall experience.

The bottom line? Exercise should be part of daily life. So get your gear out of the garage or basement and into your living space!

For additional reading on this topic, see New Space for Outdoor Enthusiasts: Adventure Rooms.