If you have a career built around working with color (or if you just enjoy learning about color theory in your spare time), you might already know that different colors can have different physiological effects on us. So it makes sense that if you’re designing a home gym, the color scheme you select matters — maybe even more so than for other rooms.
If you rely on sustained, explosive energy for your workouts, a bold, warm color like orange or even bright red might be a good choice. But if you prefer a relaxed kind of focus, quieter pastels might be more fitting. Not sure which color is best for you? We’ve included some suggestions below to help you get started.
1. Black
Usually, when you think about motivating colors, you picture high-energy hot colors. However, the moody intensity of deep black can also help you stay focused and motivated. Black is also an incredibly versatile color — you often see it as a main shade in the most rugged of powerlifting gyms, but it’s also perfect for creating sleek, upscale looks.
2. Sky Blue
If you’ve ever worked out outside, you understand the particular energy you get from the sun, the fresh air, and the blue sky. It’s not always possible to do your workout outside, but a sky-blue home gym can (almost) bring the outdoors to you. If you really want to feel like you’re outside, incorporate some green plants and some white accents, too.
3. Brick
Exposed brick’s timeless appeal has been enjoying a revival, at least when it comes to residential interiors. But it’s also great for creating a rugged, industrial-style look in your home gym. If you want to feel like you’re training in a hardcore, underground gym, exposed brick is the way to go.
4. Lemon Yellow
If you follow Pantone’s colors of the year, you might notice that the colors in the picture come close to the two 2021 colors: Illuminating and Ultimate Gray. This energizing yet balanced combination is the perfect choice for a gym.
Yellow is cheerful and motivating, but some research indicates that overexposure to yellow might cause dizziness and nausea (that’s why you don’t see this color on airplanes). Balancing it out with gray adds contrast and interest.
5. Verdant Green
If you’re trying to give your home gym an upscale touch, adding a few green plants is a great way to do it. However, in some cases, incorporating live plants isn’t feasible.
You can still achieve a striking, verdant look with artificial plants (and touches of plant-like green). The example gym above does an excellent job of this — incorporating the plants in the form of panels gives it a sleek, distinctive vibe you certainly don’t see every day!
6. Rosy Brown
There’s nothing wrong with choosing more traditional colors for your home gym. But if you want to create a unique space, try choosing an uncommon color.
The above shade might look like a quiet neutral at first. But when you look closely, you can see that it’s more of a rosy brown or brownish rose. In some lights, it looks close to a dusty coral. It’s a warm-leaning shade, but it’s calm enough to foster an environment of quiet focus.
7. Tangerine Orange
Orange is a color that’s practically oozing positive energy. Many interior designers hesitate to use it, as it can be too overstimulating in most rooms.
However, if you’re someone who prefers working out in an energetic environment, tangerine orange is a great color to choose. It might be too much to use it for every single wall, so you can take some inspiration from the example picture and include one tangerine accent wall. For the sake of balance, the other walls should be either cool shades or cool-leaning neutrals.
8. Stone Gray
Stone is a fantastic material for exteriors. But in the right kind of room, it can also make a memorable accent wall.
The color of stone fits in well with the silver (or black) color of most gym equipment. But the material itself might be an inspiration as you work out, too — can you think of a better motivation to strive for rock-hard abs?
9. Golden Yellow
Yellow is both cheerful and high-energy. But many shades of yellow are so bright that they strain your eyes when you enter a room.
If you like yellow and want to find a way to incorporate it into your home gym, you might consider using a shade of golden yellow like the one shown above. It’s still sunny, but it’s easier on the eyes and might make you think of autumn, too.
10. Farmhouse Red
Red is a stimulating color, but many people find bright reds too stimulating — even for a home gym. Farmhouse red is a viable alternative. It’s a little muted, and it sits between cardinal red/true red and brick red.
That being said, farmhouse red is still intense, and if used alongside black equipment, it might make your gym environment start to feel oppressive. Even incorporating a couple of broad white wall stripes as shown above can help bring things back into balance.
11. Cobalt Blue
Blue might be a cool color, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be energizing! Cobalt blue is an especially intense blue that still manages to be bright. And as you can see above, it’s a great way to lighten up a primarily black home gym. If you’d prefer your gym to have a summery, even nautical feel, try including white walls instead of black walls.
12. Turquoise
Turquoise is another cool color that still manages to be high-energy. Depending on the exact shade, it may lean more blue or more green. As a bonus, it tends to go nicely with silver gym equipment — that’s because real turquoise stones are often set in sterling silver.
13. Scarlet
If you want an ultra-energizing color in your home gym, a bright shade of scarlet red is ideal. But even in a gym environment, it should be used with caution — too much red can get overwhelming and even cause agitation. Start by adding a little bit of scarlet at a time. If it seems like you need more, you can always add it later.
14. Teal
Teal is a deep, bold blue-green. It generally has a calming effect, so it might seem like an odd choice for a home gym.
However, if you’re someone who prefers to cultivate a sense of calm during your workout, you might prefer having a workout space that’s primarily teal. For instance, if you primarily practice yoga, tai chi, or a similar discipline, being surrounded by a calming (yet grounding) color can help.
15. Neon Green
Like bright reds and yellows, neon green can get very overwhelming very quickly. However, it’s a great motivating color to have in your home gym!
The above image offers a great suggestion for incorporating neon green without it overtaking other elements of the space. By blending it, ombre-style, into the forest green at the top of the wall, this example keeps its energy perfectly in balance.
16. Lavender
Not all home gyms are extravagant, cutting-edge affairs. Some, like the one in the picture, are fairly bare-bones and utilitarian. However, this gym’s faint, gray-tinged lavender carpet adds just a bit of interest.
If you were designing the gym above, you could create a more unified color scheme by adding a few pieces of wall art that incorporate the same pale, dusty lavender — or at least a similar shade.
17. Pastel Yellow
Sometimes, you just want your gym to match the color scheme of the rest of your home. If that’s the case, there’s nothing wrong with using a neutral or near-neutral color scheme.
The small home gym above manages to use an almost neutral color scheme without seeming overly dull. The soft, buttery yellow walls and warmish beige carpet are balanced out by cool white ceilings and wall trim.
18. Navy Blue
Navy blue is a deep, dark blue that’s great for grounding color schemes. Much like very light shades of blue, navy can also be used like a neutral.
A home gym that is completely navy might seem too dark. But in a space that is otherwise fairly light, you might consider a navy accent wall. The room above is a great example of how navy can be a grounding force. The gym shown has light floors and ceilings — even the punching bag and Swiss balls shown are fairly light. The matte navy wall offers a simple yet effective counterbalance.
19. Celery Green
Celery green might not be as popular as sage green. However, it’s a green shade that works somewhat like a neutral, and it makes an interesting wall color.
Celery might not be the most common color choice for a gym. But if you can’t make up your mind between yellow, a light neutral, and a shade of spring green, it’s a great compromise!
20. Dusty Purple
If you want your gym to have an especially chic appeal, this quiet shade of dusty purple is just right. It may be too dark for a home gym without much natural light. But because the gym in the picture has both a skylight and a relatively pale floor, the darkish purple walls integrate well.
21. Burnt Orange
Although orange isn’t a favorite choice of most interior designers, its energy makes it a great option for home gyms. If you like orange but would prefer to tone it down a bit, burnt orange is worth considering. As you can see in the example image, it forms a striking contrast with black. To add some extra interest, consider adding marbling or other details like you see above.
22. Wood Tones
Wood tones are a classic choice in any room, but you don’t often think of them as being part of a gym. However, if you want your workout space to make you feel closer to nature, wood tones can help. The gym above is a great example of a space designed to feel almost integrated with the natural world.
The front wall of windows gives you an unfettered view of the green world outside, and the wall of mirrors behind it enhances that view. When you add light wood tones to the mix, it only amplifies the feeling of being out in nature.
23. Tan
Lots of people mix up tan and beige. The colors are similar, but the difference comes down to undertones. Tan generally has yellowish undertones, but beige has undertones of pink or orange. The tan in the picture has an intense presence that works nicely with the wood tones.
This combination is an unusual one for a gym. But if you want your workout space to make you feel ensconced and even a little cozy, it’s a good choice.
24. Cool White
People seem to have varying opinions on cool white. Some think it’s perfectly modern and minimalist. Others think it looks too stark and sterile. But as you can see above, cool white is a shade that can make your home gym look especially sleek.
The colors you use alongside cool white can make or break the overall color scheme. The above gym makes great use of both blue and silver to create a look that is intriguing and icy — perfect for helping you feel invigorated throughout your workout!
25. Soft Gray
Many commercial and home gyms alike use a lot of black, gray, and white. Dark grays are common, but if you want to keep the space looking open, you might consider using a paler shade of gray as well.
The gym pictured above incorporates gray in a somewhat unusual fashion. Because the space has so few windows, completely gray walls might make it seem too dark. Painting the walls half white and half gray adds some interest while keeping a pleasing light-dark balance.
26. Warm White
There’s not really such a thing as “plain white” walls — just about every shade of white leans either a bit warm or a bit cool. Cooler shades are better for fresh, modern looks. Warmer shades are better for creating classic aesthetics.
The gym above is a beautiful example of a classic aesthetic. The high ceilings and arched windows give it a vintage kind of beauty. Without any other colors, this color scheme might be a little too plain. Including some green plants like in the picture above is a great way to add some interest.
27. Baby Pink
Pink is a color commonly used for bakeries, candy shops, and little girls’ bedrooms. It might not be the first color you think of when you imagine a home gym, but if you’re partial to it and like the whimsical atmosphere it brings, it’s a good choice. You can even take some inspiration from the example photo and include some pastel blue shades for a 50s-style vibe!
28. Beige
The picture above might look like a snapshot of a commercial gym. But believe it or not, it’s actually a luxury personal gym! The combination of pale beige walls and pale, wood-toned floors might seem like a dull one at first, but it keeps the focus on the high-end gym equipment. The brown padding is a somewhat uncommon feature, and it’s just dark enough to keep the whole room grounded.
29. Army Green
Whether you’re in the military or just inspired by it, an army-green home gym is a great way to communicate that when it comes to training, you mean business. As you can see in the photo, this is a color that does especially well with black gym equipment. The army green/black combination can easily overwhelm a room that isn’t well-lit, so make sure your home gym has plenty of natural light before using these shades!
30. Spring Green
Last on our list is another shade of green that’s somewhat uncommon, at least when it comes to interiors. However, light green can be uniquely inspiring — it’s the color of new grass and new leaves, so if you’ve just started a fitness regimen or are renewing your commitment to health, it might remind you of new things to come.
What Color Is Best for Your Home Gym?
As you can see, you have options when it comes to colors for your home gym. It might seem like a trivial decision, but the color of your workout space will set the tone for each exercise session. Whether you want your gym’s aesthetic to match the rest of your home or you want to create a completely unique space, it all starts with the right color scheme.
