Why Designers Think Wellness Rooms Could Replace Home Gyms
An increasing number of designers are helping clients ditch the dumbbell racks for saunas and hobby spaces.
BY LAUREN WICKS
There’s nothing like a pandemic to both overhaul our lives and cause us to rethink them entirely. Even now, many of the pandemic habits we picked up over these last few years and life changes we originally thought were temporary—like hybrid schedules and home offices—have managed to remain in our present-day lives.
Interior designers have especially noticed a shift in needs, desires, and
schedules during the pandemic. Maryline Damour of Damour Drake, a design
firm based in the Hudson Valley, is one of many designers who were hard at work
helping clients achieve greater wellbeing and joy in their homes amidst dark
and uncertain times.
“The good thing about the pandemic is that it gave people time to connect with
things they’ve missed doing, and I think people have been creating more space
for all the stuff they love in the home,” she says.
While the term “wellness” may conjure up visions of expensive mushroom elixirs, spa
retreats, and pilates classes on the beach, Damour says that the definition of
wellness should expand to activities that nourish your soul and help you best
care for yourself. Over the last two years, she’s noticed an increased client
interest in music rooms and libraries—both places for meditative activities
that allow a person to explore their creative side, build their confidence in a
skill, or simply find solace at the end of a busy day.
Damour has even started wearing a new hat as a vegetable garden designer since
the pandemic began, creating high-design outdoor rooms that feature
rows of raised garden beds, beautiful patio furniture, and pergolas for maximum
use (whether you’re actually tending to the
garden or looking for a quiet spot to catch up on emails). Clients who have
moved outside of big cities are interested in connecting to their environments
and having other activities that don't require a screen or staying indoors.
“People used to ask for home gyms a lot and now it’s more about creating space
to relax,” says Damour. “All of these things fall under 'wellness' because it’s
about taking care of yourself in various ways. As a designer, creating these
spaces becomes a whole different conversation: It’s about what you’re trying to
get out of the space and how we can support your goals, rather than just
functionality and good design. The space needs to support the way you are
wanting to live.”
The Future of Wellness at Home has Just Begun
Caleb Anderson of Drake/Anderson, a design firm based in New
York City, says that the wellness conversation has been shifting from
hospitality design to residential spaces—especially in the last few years as
designers become more aware about various technologies and materials that can
improve the mental and physical wellbeing of clients’ lives at home. The
designer says he recently attended an event with Crypton, Celliant,
and Kravet at The Well where the brands showcased a new
fabric collaboration that “utilizes ethically sourced minerals and works with
your body to offer healing and calming properties,” according to the designer.
Anderson notes that research presented at the event showed that these exciting
materials can have a positive impact on conditions such as diabetes and
anxiety, and he’s excited about future wellness-centric innovations that could
improve our holistic health. Even now, his team is currently working on a
residential project in New York City that’s using a new type of lighting
technology that works with one’s circadian rhythms to promote better sleep and
overall health.
“I’m excited to do more of these projects because wellness is such a part of my
life and I enjoy engaging with clients to make them aware of the products and
design elements that can really be beneficial for them,” says the designer, who
is launching a new industry initiative, Well-Designed, this fall. This
organization is all about building community with other design creatives through
events that offer education about stress reduction methods and how to improve well-being,
as he’s seen so many of his colleagues experience burnout and
anxiety—especially in the last few years. Anderson also hopes that this will
lead to more wellness-centered conversations with clients around creating
spaces that truly serve their mind, body, and soul.
“A lot of what I’m doing is educating myself so that when these opportunities
for wellness spaces come along, I can create something that touches on these
aspects while still speaking to the design of our portfolio,” says Anderson.
Additionally, we’re seeing wellness-centric home tech become a greater priority
across many brands. Souped-up air purifiers have become a hot commodity since
the pandemic began. Brands like LG have created design-focused models, like the Aero
Tower, to bring a greater sense of wellbeing and peace of mind into any space.
Kohler recently unveiled its new Stillness Bath, which utilizes water,
light, fog, and natural aromas to create a transportive and restorative bathing
experience inspired by Japanese soaking tubs.
And for those who do want to incorporate fitness into a wellness-centric space,
there’s been plenty of innovation in terms of transforming any room in your
home into a gym without taking up permanent square footage. Brands like Mirror and Tonal bring
high-tech, full-body workouts to your walls. There are also a vast array of
celeb-adored fitness streaming offerings to enjoy from home such as the Tracy
Anderson Method, The Sculpt
Society, and The Pilates
Class that simply require a TV and a mat to get
your sweat on. But there’s much more to consider beyond wellness tech when
creating a space for wellbeing, and one may even argue that you shouldn’t
consider technology at all.
How to Create a Wellness Room
Sue Glasscock is the co-founder and CCO of The Ranch, one of the country’s
premier wellness retreats which has just expanded to a second outpost in Italy.
Glasscock says that many guests leave the program wanting to take home the
principles and practices they’ve learned during their stay, and she she adds
that they should begin with establishing a tech-free room (or nook) in your
home. Glasscock says this space should be dedicated to reflection, reading,
journaling, or engaging in another favorite analog activity, reflecting the
digital detox that takes place while participating in The Ranch’s program.
Ideally, she says this room should be a place with natural light that looks out
onto your natural environment and resides in a quieter area of the home to
prevent distraction. Once you’ve found the perfect spot, it’s time to start
designing.
“Since being around nature has such a positive impact on our health, I would
recommend incorporating elements like reclaimed wood, plants, large windows or
glass doors, and Dutch doorways into your home,” Glasscock says. “The calming
colors and clean lines of our interiors help to further promote a sense of
relaxation and foster a restful night’s sleep.”
Anderson loves to incorporate other natural elements like stones and rock
crystal to create layered and luxurious spaces that exude a sense of organic
elegance. He says by bringing in gorgeous marble pieces and other high-design
materials found in nature, the space can actually feel more refined than
rustic.
“Lighting is always important, especially when you have natural light to work
with, and it's important to make sure that you can maximize the amount
available to your space,” he says. “You can walk into a room and tell if it has
a good soul, and I think there’s always that consideration through materiality
and the use of light—how you can speak to someone’s sensory experience. But
even with lighting, make sure you have various layers that you can adjust to
create a softer mood when needed.”
If you’re lucky enough to have an entire room to work with, Damour advises
creating zones throughout the space for different activities such as a library
area with a cozy chair by the window for reading and a stretching corner with
storage for a yoga mat, stretching bands, and essential oils to instill a sense
of calm. She’s also big on using whatever space you have to create a retreat
within your home, even if it’s a corner. As long as the spaced is used intentionally,
it doesn't matter how small or large it is.
Damour created a wellness room for the Kingston Design Showhouse in 2019 that was formerly a downstairs bedroom. She
transformed the room’s closet into a chic sauna space and gave
the bathroom a spa-like upgrade to make this a
truly luxurious spot for the homeowners and their loved ones. The designer is
also a big fan of biophilic design and incorporated an architectural piece
commissioned by a fabric artist that embodies a Japanese psychotherapy practice
of bringing patients out into the woods to reduce stress and lower blood
pressure.
Those looking to incorporate an element of low-tech fitness in their daily life
can take a cue from Renvy Pittman, whose light-drenched home gym is lined with
palm print wallpaper and tech-free equipment for a workout that resets the
mind, body, and soul. Those who don’t have the space for a reformer machine or
are looking for portable equipment to make the space feel multi-purpose can
check out new offerings such as microformers, which are lightweight
machines that offer an equally intense Lagree Method-style workout anywhere in
the home. Or you can stock up on small but powerful tools like Bala
Bangles, resistance bands, and sliders that can easily be hidden in a drawer or
closet.
At the end of the day, creating a wellness room is all about filling it with
pieces that will induce calmness, joy, and achieving whatever wellness means to
you, whether that's having time to unplug and cozy up with a stack of novels
you've been meaning to read for years or engaging in low-impact physical
activity to grow stronger mentally and physically. Find the colors, textures,
and activities that speak to you, and you'll be well on your way to creating
the ultimate retreat—even in a busy, bustling household.
