Before & After: Soul Sweat Yoga Studio, New Haven, Connecticut

When I first entered Soul Sweat Yoga Studios, the studio was just a little over a year old. The space was constructed and opened in such a hurry and its immediate success in the Elm City often put the interior design on the back-burner. My client repeatedly made $500 HomeGoods trips in an effort to juzzzsch it up and came up flat.

Known for its soul sweating, steam laden hot yoga classes of up to fifty yogis at a time, my client craved an elevated Earthy-Minimalist and Urban-Industrial vibe with a wow factor upon entry.

Here’s where we began:

And here we are now:

In the main vestibule, the long hall was visually defined into three distinct spaces: a welcome area with a wow factor—a.k.a.instagram-worthy—and merchandise; a yogi’s cubby-friendly art gallery; and a dramatic changing area and relocation of the Lost & Found, incorporating hordes of sexy lighting.

Up to fifty yogis practice on their mats at any given time. The yoga studio claimed a clean and open area for practice, wall-mounting all sprays and wipes, chalkboard sections for supportive messages and lightly peppering tropical plants to soak up the high humidity in bright, naturally lit corners.

The biggest, and quite possibly most impactful, change was refinishing the wood moulding and doorways throughout the studio. My client strongly desired retaining the wood element (ditto!), which was refined with a rich espresso stain paired with an earthy color palette of greige, black, and pops of green.

If you look closely, several existing furnishings were repurposed in the refreshed yoga studio design, a detail I am always proud to incorporate into a design plan when possible. This includes, but is not limited to, the cubbies, industrial retail clothing rack, studio sconces, artwork, etc.

SHOP THIS DESIGN