Home gyms are a wonderful luxury if fitness is a priority. The freedom and flexibility offered by building a shabby-chic style home gym or exercise room at home is a great investment, and will soon recoup its worth in memberships. Design ideas might conjure up images of exercise bikes, treadmills and heavy weights, but if that isn’t your thing it can really be as simple as having an open, airy, mirrored studio in which to practice yoga or pilates.

How to find ideas for my home gym?

The first consideration for your shabby-chic style home gym design is finding the space, the second is working out how this space will accommodate the gym equipment that you require. You may have a spare room, loft, basement or garage that can be fitted for purpose, but there’s more to home gyms than just bringing in the right equipment – you will want to consider hygiene, ventilation, your flooring and ease of movement around the space. Try looking through the photos from design professionals to find inspiration on how to furnish and decorate your home gym, and filter by style, budget, size, type, flooring and colours to find designs that could work for you.

How to choose the right gym equipment?

The home exercise equipment you should invest in will depend on whether you are a cardio or weights lover, and there are ideas for every budget varying from the humble skipping rope, to medicine balls, dumbbells and weight benches, or go all out with a state-of-the-art multi gym and motorised treadmills or cross-trainers. If your workouts don’t involve any fitness equipment, a bright studio space will offer the perfect environment for exercise – just add your yoga mat, a ballet barre or soft stretching area and you’ll have all you need. If you really want to go all out, and dance is your typical workout of choice, you might even consider a sprung floor. The home gym is the one room where mirrors aren’t decor, so install a mirrored wall so you can keep proper form whilst exercising.

How do I convert my space into a home gym?

Your first consideration in a home gym is space – you need to keep enough space between your gym machines to allow safe and easy movement. Designating extra space for stretching can be as important as finding room for a rowing machine and weights. Good ventilation is essential – if you have insufficient windows for good air flow then you can add extractor fans and consider installing air conditioning for climate control. Access to an electrical supply through floor recessed power points is important for your workout equipment and you may want to consider allowing for a TV and sound system. Think carefully about lighting when considering home gym ideas and ideally avoid low-hanging lights or lighting that will give off a lot of heat, as keeping cool whilst exercising is critical to comfort.

What should I do for the flooring?

Before bringing any large scale home fitness equipment into the room and dreaming up grandiose home gym ideas, take into account how much weight your floors can take. Unless your gym is on the ground floor, you may need to strengthen your flooring. Suspending timber floors may need reinforcing, and outdoor buildings such as sheds will need a minimum of 150mm joists to support equipment. If in any doubt, consult a structural engineer – nothing interrupts a workout like falling through your home gym floor! When it comes to the covering, vinyl, rubber and foam tiles or interlocking floor mats are all good options as they provide spring and a soft surface if you are in contact with the floor often.

Budget Shabby-Chic Style Home Gym Ideas and Designs

Budget Shabby-Chic Style Home Gym Ideas and Designs

How to find ideas for my home gym?

How to choose the right gym equipment?

How do I convert my space into a home gym?

What should I do for the flooring?