THE ULTIMATE HOME GYM

A Luxe, Custom Home Gym Designed By San Francisco's Sabra Ballon Elevates Fitness To An Art Form

NOW MORE THAN EVER, having a dedicated space for a home gym is high on many homeowners' wish lists. Not only does it make exercising far more convenient than going to a gym or health club, it can also enhance the home's aesthetic appeal.

Yes, that's right: a home gym can actually be a thing of beauty. It doesn't have to be the ugliest room in the house (though, sadly, it often is). In the right designer's hands, home gyms can be as elegant as any other space in one's home.

"It is all about figuring out what's important to my clients," Ballon explains. "This couple is passionate about home, family and health, and I wanted the gym to be a beautiful reflection of those values."

For me, it's about designing a healthy home you love to be in," says San Francisco-based interior designer Sabra Ballon, who runs the acclaimed design firm ballonSTUDIO, “I love creating beautiful spaces that help my clients achieve their wellness goals.”

Ballon, who has made her name designing a wide range of projects from high-end residences to premier hotel properties, recently completed a top-of-the-line, entirely bespoke home gym for clients on San Francisco's Union Street. A 30-something couple with a passion for fitness (one of them is a former professional athlete), Ballon's clients had clear goals for their space. It had to have state-of-the art equipment, including a wall-sized golf simulator and a Tonal smart home gym system. It needed a kitchen area, spa and outdoor putting green. And it had to work seamlessly with the rest of the house, which Ballon also designed.

To that end, Ballon placed the gym's requisite heavy-duty black floor mat under attractive light-colored woven mats, installed European white oak flooring, and added soft, felt-wrapped panels to the ceiling. She located a small company in Poland called Pent that specializes in high-end gym equipment, which supplied the gym's built-in cabinets; leather workout bench, medicine balls and yoga mats; and even a custom walnut-handled stainless steel weight set.

"It is all about figuring out what's important to my clients," Ballon explains. "This couple is passionate about home, family and health, and I wanted the gym to be a beautiful reflection of those values."