Like many, the pandemic really changed our lives. First, our social scene changed dramatically. We have fewer people staying with us and having a dedicated guest room began to feel like a waste of space. Second, after years and years of working out off and on, I finally settled into a nice routine. Third, Patrick and I learned a lot about our home and how we like to use the space. Near the end of 2022 we decided we wanted to change our guest room (also known as the cats’ room, as they love the window in there) into a combo home gym and library. We just put the finishing touches in it last week and I’m thrilled to finally share it with you.

While a gym and library don’t initially seem like they go hand in hand, the library aspect was more out of necessity. The guest room was never really finished. Furnished with vintage Heywood Wakefield, it had two twin beds, a lamp table, and three bookcases, which resided there to make a more cozy and interesting environment, and, honestly, we lacked space elsewhere in the house. The decor for the guest room was still lacking at the time of our change, but I had started to go in a vintage California tourist direction, with some vintage pennants, plates, and a large map of Disneyland. When it came time to change the space into a gym, we worked it in such a way that it all stayed, except for the beds, obviously. We added a small couch for a relaxing reading nook to round out the library aspect, and our work out activity faces away from the Disneyland map, so it isn’t distracting, but keeps the space interesting.

Why a gym? Weren’t Patrick and I working out just fine elsewhere? Well during the holiday season, my general work out area in the living room gets taken over by holiday decor, leaving little to no space for my traditional work out during the last couple months of the year. Meanwhile Patrick had been working out in the garage, but depending on house projects and the weather (it gets very hot and very cold in there), the garage could be unusable. Additionally in 2024, we plan to purchase an electric car, therefor needing space in the garage. With our normal work out spaces more or less endangered by a variety of things and fewer house guests, it only made sense to transform the guest room into a gym.

For me, the key to working out is the cute factor. Sounds weird, I know. But having a cute matching work out outfit, a cute yoga mat, and cute weights makes working out so much easier for me. So I knew I wanted the work out space to be ultra cute. But also very airy, and free from clutter. We oriented the work out away from the bookcases, but then it came down to what to do with the wall in a way that was cute, but still breezy. The answer came in the form of a drag queen.

Awhile back drag queen Trixie Mattel announced her plans to renovate an old Palm Springs motel (coincidentally it was a motel we stayed at a couple of years ago), and that the process would be part of a show under the same name as the motel, Trixie Motel, and airing on Discovery+. I. Ate. This. Show. Up. I used to love home renovation and design shows (from ages 12 to 14 or so I wanted to be an interior designer) and this show was unlike any other renovation show I had seen. There was delightful comedy, amazing outfits by Trixie, LGBTQ+ history, special guests (including my fav crooner Orville Peck), and best of all, completely and utterly unique designs for each and every room by Dani Dazey. In the days that followed watching the show, I decided it was time to paint more of our home, and started with the bathrooms (you can check out our master bathroom revamp here) and when it came time to do the gym, I lifted design elements directly from the Trixie Motel, specifically the Queen of Hearts room, with its psychedelic tri-colored stripe. Color choices initially stemmed from these dreamy weights from Target, and we moved forward with a pink, green, and gold color scheme. As I mentioned in the master bathroom post, I find pink a very calming, but cheery color that helps me focus.

Because both Patrick and I use a lot of YouTube videos for working out we decided to buy a TV for the room, instead of using our phones like we had been. Patrick pushed hard for a Frame TV, which has the option to feature a work of art or photograph when the TV isn’t in use, so you don’t just have a black hole in your wall. Initially I wasn’t sure it was worth the price point, but the second we hung it up and I saw the big black rectangle, I looked to him and said “I’m glad you know me better than me sometimes.”

Walls painted and TV installed, ripping up the carpet was next. Having already done this in the office (another space in a state of partial renovation that I hope to share in the future), we knew the original hardwood was underneath, which was a warm honey color. With the Heywood-Wakefield bookcases staying, I knew I wanted to go for a dark stain on the floor, and after we pulled up the carpet, I was thankful we had already decided to redo the floors, as we realized it would have to regardless due to various stains, and termite damage, unlike the office, which was nearly pristine! Patrick tackled the floors, and while he’s glad we saved some money doing it himself, he never wants to do it again.

With regards to equipment, we didn’t need too much, in fact open space was vital. I tend to stick to yoga, weight lifting, and recently started integrating HITT work outs. I’m rather tempted to start boxing, and have found several places that have pink punching bags, but I’m not opposed to a nice leather one, perhaps in the future. Patrick does TRX work outs, as well as yoga. However, we both missed cycling, which we did a lot of when we lived in Oregon. Today there is the occasional ride to Disneyland and downtown Anaheim, that’s pretty much it. For years now I’ve been wanting a vintage gold Schwinn Exerciser, and the gym made for the perfect excuse to get one, which we found on CraigsList for $100. While the room is spacious, it isn’t enough for the bike to sit out quite how I would like it do, but it’s easily moved. I especially love having it, because I can watch TV while on it. Additionally, when I was doing research to date the bike, I found out they made an add-on book holder. I thought it was funny, but didn’t bring it up to Pat. Later, he expressed wanting a book holder for the bike, and I told him one existed from the same time period as the bike, and he went on Ebay and found one! It also perfectly holds our phones and the remote for the TV.

Overall, I’m very, very pleased with the outcome of the space. It’s the first space I really feel like I designed, including sketches and mood boards, and it came together exactly how I imagined. With this transformation, this went from a space we hardly use (with or without guests we entered every so often to access coats, purses, and shoes, all of which are stored in the closet) to a space we use almost daily.

I hope you enjoyed the latest installment of our house projects! For other projects, you can check out the Our 1954 Home category.

Source List and Information (contains affiliate links)
Paint: Lowe’s with specific colors from Sherwin Williams being Tea Rose (overall pink), Antique Coral (pink stripe), True Bliss (green wall and stripe), and Swiss Coffee (white stripe)
Couch: Briar by Joybird in Sorrento Coral
Couch Cat Scratcher: Amazon
Floor Mat: Amazon
Yoga Mat: Society 6
TV: Frame TV
Basket: Target
Weights & Weight Rack: The Blogilaties Collection Target
Plants: easyplant
Fan: Amazon 
Cactus Scratcher: PetCo
Wheels: Chirp
Wheel Rack: Vintage magazine rack
Bike: Vintage ’70s Schwinn Exerciser. We bought ours on CraigsList. There are several for sale online.
Bookcases & Table: Vintage Heywood Wakefield. The short, straight book case and the corner bookcase can be purchased new. A somewhat similar lamp table can be purchased new. You can also haunt CraigsList and Ebay for vintage items.
Disneyland Map: Vintage from 1962. Framed using American Frame. Similar maps can be found on Ebay. You want one that is roughly 45 by 30 inches.