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THE AT-HOME WORKOUT BOOM CONTINUES AND REGARDLESS OF THE SPACE YOU HAVE YOU CAN ACE A FABULOUS GYM
FEATURE Roddy Clarke
Everyone has a health and wellbeing routine that works for them. Some go for daily walks, some practice the rituals of yoga, while others find that an intense HIIT workout or a strength training session is the perfect fix for the mind and body. If exercising at home is preferable, but you have avaried fitness plan, how can you create a space that blends style and function to ensure it inspires and assists you in committing to aconsistent workout schedule?
Róisín O’Connor, founder and creative director of Studio O’Connor, has worked on both luxury hospitality and residential schemes to create afive-star gym experience, and says it all begins with understanding your own routine to ensure the layout of the space doesn’t become an afterthought. ‘Home gyms are of ten allocated to the smaller and less desirable rooms in a house,’ she explains. ‘Therefore, layout is essential to providing the illusion of space and light that the room may not inherently have.’ Stand within the room at different times of day before you begin the project to ensure you work out where the light falls throughout. ‘You may enjoy treadmill running with an abundance of natural light in the morning – or doing Pilates in the evening with warmer lighting and no need for aview,’ she says. ‘That is why it ’s key to identif y the most suited positions for your equipment, especially before you’ve brought them into the room as they can be bulky and tricky to move.’
Mirrored walls are a staple in most public gyms and for Róisín it’s a great addition at home if you don’t have awindow or view. ‘Gyms can often feel ver y bottom heav y with f loor space filled with equipment, so by adding full-height mirrors broken into vertical panels it adds the illusion of more height, while maximising light and creating the feeling of amore spacious environment,’ she says.
Dimmable lighting is also a must in offering versatilit y as light levels inf luence the energy within aspace, making it applicable for meditation in low level settings or high intensit y workouts in brighter modes. Interior designer Sophia Ayrton-Grime, the creative force behind Studio Raff, says lighting should be soft yet visible to maintain a luxurious feel. ‘I love adding modern light fittings like Porsa’s six-light brushed brass and white porcelain fixture,’ she says. ‘When converting basements or larger open spaces, install arched f loor-to-ceiling mirrors with LED strip lighting concealed behind. In opting for non-directional or diffused lighting such as this, it steers the room away from having a sterile feel –acommon result in alot of functional spaces.’
GYMS CAN OFTEN FEEL VERY BOTTOM HEAVY WITH FLOOR SPACE FILLED WITH EQUIPMENT, SO BY ADDING FULL-HEIGHT MIRRORS BRO
