Fabiano Designs

Tell us about your company
Our New York-based agency has been working in the health and fitness industry for 25 years, designing health clubs including NuYu in Saudi Arabia and BFX in the US.

What’s your design style?
I’ve never really thought about us having a style. Rather, we have a process to understand clients’ needs. However, we do like to have fun with our designs and we don’t shy away from using different shapes, materials, colours or lighting.

The main thing at Fabiano Designs is that we’re intent on creating places where people feel entertained, inspired and looked after. As soon as they come in, we want them to feel interested and wanting to see more.

What’s the secret to creating an inspiring health club environment?
It’s all about creating a space that’s unique to your brand, and that has a consistent design message.

Some health clubs can achieve a big impact, without requiring a huge budget, by adopting a raw look and feel in their interior design. Others, like £300-a-month country clubs, use superb materials and lighting to get the same kind of impact.

Generally, it’s important to use lighting well and to have enough space for users to feel comfortable.

How does good design benefit a club?
Design can do two things: seduce people into buying a membership, and improve retention by enhancing their experience while they’re at the club.

We’re continually trying to educate clients that good design really does matter. Studies have shown that businesses which use design as an element of their culture – such as Virgin or Apple – do 200–300 per cent more business than companies that simply sell a product to the consumer.

Health clubs are no different. People visit a few times a week and they want it to be enjoyable.

What are the most common design mistakes made by health clubs?
Not working with a design professional is, in my opinion, short-changing the product. The most common mistake is that the owner will think they know enough about fitness to design their health club. They tend to think it’s all about the equipment – but that’s a tool to achieve success, not the only experience members are there for.

Aspects such as privacy in the changing rooms, socialisation and lighting need to be carefully considered. Beyond bad aesthetics, other common mistakes include bad acoustics and lighting, and using materials that really don’t hold up to the high usage levels of a health club.

However, this is one of the cleanest industries, it produces little waste and does a lot of good within society as a whole, so fitness operators should be proud of that. It’s a very fulfilling industry in which to work.