Having a studio space of your very own to decorate can be both exciting and challenging. On the one hand, you've got a clean slate to create whatever style and vibe you want for your business. But once you hit the store and start navigating all of the options, the whole process can start to feel just a little bit overwhelming.
Wouldn't it be great if you had the luxury of asking an interior designer for their best advice on how to decorate your fitness studio? Well, folks, today is your lucky day. We've asked award-winning interior designer Ana Cummings to give us her best tips for fun ways to decorate studio walls. Read on for her recommendations for adding just the right touch to your space.
Storage that doubles as decor
To decorate for utility, Cummings recommends a nice combination and grouping of beautiful wall hooks (for ropes, bands, mats) and open box cubbies for storage and display. "Have a list of what you’d like to hang," she says, "so you can gauge the load that the hook or boxes will need to support. There are plenty of styles out there to choose from at your local hardware store." You can also add netting to the corner of high ceilings to house exercise balls. "This is the easiest," says Cummings, "just use a few sturdy hooks from a hardware store and some ball-stop netting from a sporting store."
Quick and easy decals
Add some instant flair to studio walls with custom peel and stick decals featuring motivational phrases. "EBay or Etsy are great places to source custom decals," Cummings says, "along with any local print shop. I’ve had everything from kid's names to monster trucks made into decals. Have fun with it: Try placing words on different angles, upside down, or make a pattern with it, like looping your phrase into a circle. The possibilities are endless."
Create a "feature wall"
Choose an entire wall of your studio to cover with a wallpaper-sized version of a striking photograph. "Use a cool photograph that is blown up into mural size and wallpapered on a feature wall," Cummings suggests. "Take a digital file of your photograph along with your wall dimensions to a reputable printer or wallpaper supplier." From there, you can skip the step of framing it, and apply it directly to the wall as wallpaper.
Cover walls with faux materials
To give your space a chic industrial look, Cummings recommends decorating walls with faux brick or cement wall panels. "These can be found at big box stores like Home Depot," she says, "or online at Wayfair, Fauxpanels.com and even Amazon. They are incredibly light and easy to install. It just requires adhesive or finishing nails and a small hand saw tool for cutting pieces to fit just right."
A fun way to display the class schedule
Write down today's program on a large dry erase board. "This can even be back painted in any color on piece of glass that is mounted to the wall," says Cummings. "It could be fabric or wallpaper backed onto the glass, and framed for a more couture look." If you need help, Cummings suggests asking a local framer to assist with the effort. "But it could be as easy as heading to HomeGoods, Michael’s or IKEA for a large frame with glass, and inserting the backdrop of your choice, from brown craft paper to fabric," she says. "Just make sure there are no creases -- you want it to look professional, not a DIY gone awry!"
Frame your wins
"Mount a framed collection of your certificates and qualifications, combined with any press or media articles," Cummings recommends. "It’s a no brainer. Have a special corner by your desk to show the world how wonderful you and your studio are!"
