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Interior designers interviewed by Livingetc say home gyms remain a feature of luxury residential projects, even as group fitness and wellness activities become more social. They describe a shift from equipment-focused rooms toward spaces integrated with the home’s design and, in some projects, recovery amenities. The report does not provide market data or establish how widespread these changes are beyond the designers’ experience.
Home gyms remain part of luxury residential design, but their role is changing, according to interior designers interviewed by Livingetc. Rather than treating exercise equipment as an add-on, designers say clients increasingly want wellness spaces planned with the architecture and interiors—a shift that comes as group workouts and social fitness activities draw people outside the home.
Designers quoted in the report described continuing demand for home gyms in high-end homes. Nina Maya, founder of Sydney-based Nina Maya Interiors, said the appetite for more extensive wellness spaces has grown and that gyms are now considered earlier in the design process, with attention to location, views and how the room connects to other parts of the home.
Rebecca Hughes, founder of Rebecca Hughes Interiors, also said demand remains strong. She described a change from rooms treated mainly as functional spaces to areas considered part of a home’s overall design and lifestyle. The report’s examples include a gym overlooking a pool and garden, and a bespoke workout space designed to sit alongside the original timber features of a historic property.
Alama Studio co-founder Gabriele Zanni said clients want fitness areas to feel like part of the home rather than a separate room filled with equipment. Designers also described combining exercise areas with amenities such as saunas, steam rooms or cold plunges, as well as spaces for stretching. These are examples and observations from the designers, not a survey of homeowners or the wider housing market.
Fitness Spaces Join Home Design
The report points to a change in how some homeowners use space: a gym may be planned as a lasting feature of the home, rather than assembled around a treadmill and weights after construction. For people considering a renovation or new build, that can affect decisions about room placement, natural light, storage and access to outdoor views.
The shift also reflects a tension in the premise of the story. Social workouts can make exercise a reason to meet friends, while a home gym offers convenience and privacy. The designers’ comments suggest that these options are not necessarily competing: a home may provide a dedicated place for movement and recovery even if its owner also attends group classes. The source does not report how often people choose one over the other.
For the design industry, the expanded idea of a gym brings fitness equipment into conversations about finishes and atmosphere. Timber or leather details, integrated storage and carefully considered lighting can make equipment less visually separate from the rest of a home. But the report does not establish whether these features are affordable or practical for typical households.
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From Equipment Room to Wellness
The Livingetc report frames its question around the growth of social wellness activities, including run clubs, Pilates gatherings and group sauna sessions. It asks whether those trends reduce the appeal of setting aside space at home for exercise. The designers’ answer is that demand persists in the residential projects they work on, while expectations for the space have broadened.
Maya described one project in Avalon, where a gym looks out through large windows toward a pool and garden and uses walnut and white leather equipment. Hughes discussed a gym in a historic home, designed with a simple, Scandinavian-inspired look while retaining the character of the property’s timber beams. The examples illustrate different approaches; they do not show how common either design is.
The report also notes a wider design interest in equipment that looks suited to a home’s interior. It gives Dior’s work on wellness gear as an example, but offers no sales figures or evidence that luxury-branded equipment is driving home-gym demand. Its central evidence is the professional experience of three people involved in interior design and fitness-space design.
“We’re certainly still seeing strong demand for home gyms, although the focus has evolved over the past few years.”
— Rebecca Hughes, founder of Rebecca Hughes Interiors
How Broad Is the Demand?
The report does not provide sales figures, homeowner survey results or comparisons over time. It is therefore unclear whether the designers’ observations apply beyond luxury residential projects or how demand for home gyms compares with participation in studios, run clubs and other social fitness activities.
It also does not establish that every project includes recovery amenities, high-end equipment or a dedicated room. The examples show what some clients and designers are choosing, not a general standard for new homes. No cost estimates, space requirements or evidence about resale value are included.
Design Plans Will Set the Pace
The report offers a forecast rather than a dated industry milestone: the designers expect home gyms to be considered as part of residential planning into 2027. In the projects they describe, the next decisions concern how a workout area relates to the home’s layout, light, views, finishes and any recovery spaces.
Whether that design direction becomes more widespread remains to be seen. More data on home renovation choices, equipment sales and homeowner use would help distinguish a luxury-design trend from a broader change in how people exercise at home.
Key Questions
Are home gyms still in demand?
Designers interviewed by Livingetc say yes, particularly in luxury residential projects. The report does not include market-wide statistics, so it cannot measure overall demand.
How are home gyms changing?
The designers say gyms are increasingly planned as part of a home’s architecture and interior design, with more attention to light, views, materials and integrated storage rather than equipment alone.
Are home gyms replacing group fitness?
The report does not establish that. It describes both the appeal of social exercise and continued designer-reported interest in home gyms, but provides no data comparing participation or use.
What might a modern home wellness space include?
Depending on the project, designers described exercise equipment alongside stretching areas, saunas, steam rooms or cold plunges. These are examples, not features that every home gym includes.
Source: livingetc.com
