Living in an apartment or a smaller house and still wanting to exercise at home can be a bit tricky. But if you have a living room, you still have enough space to get yourself some exercise equipment. However, the most important part is only after the exercise, and if you’re wondering how to hide exercise equipment in living room, you’re in the right place.
Down below, we’ll show you the best ways to hide your exercise equipment so it’s not in the way, but also how to benefit from doing so, so keep on reading!
How to Hide Exercise Equipment in Living Room
While some exercise equipment is small and you can hide it almost anywhere you think of, there’s also bulky equipment that might be the issue here.
1. Hiding in the Plain Sight
The best way to hide exercise equipment in living room is to take advantage of the curtains, dividers, shelves, or even screens.
This way, you can just move your exercise equipment right after you’re done working out, still keep it in the living room, but move it out of sight.
2. Using the Curtains
Oftentimes, we have a lot of space behind the curtains that is empty. This is exactly the place where you can store some of your exercise equipment and yet it won’t be visible to anyone who enters the living room.
3. Take Advantage of Dividers
Dividers are also a great way to dedicate a section of your living room for exercise equipment and still hide it from anyone who enters the room. If you have any super large equipment such as cardio machines, dividers make a great way to hide them.
4. Introduce Shelves
You can always deal with smaller equipment using shelves if you run out of space behind the curtains. Shelves also make a great way to store small to medium items.
5. Decorative Screens
Decorative screens give you the freedom to choose decorations that will fit into your style and go well with your furniture, yet they will hide even the biggest exercise equipment right in your living room. With plenty of options, decorative screens are an inexpensive way to take advantage of an empty corner space. Will a decorative screen still be in sight, it will be a much better sight than the cardio equipment, for example.
6. Storage Ottomans
Storage ottomans are a great way to improve the functionality of your living room and increase the number of seats available while allowing you to store equipment in the storage ottoman itself.
Depending on the size of the storage ottoman, you can fill it up with smaller equipment that you usually won’t have anywhere else to store. People will be able to use an ottoman for seating purposes without even knowing that their exercise equipment is stored right inside.
7. Behind-the-Couch Bar
The behind-the-couch bar is a great way to add some space for drinks, plates, and decorations, and it’s also a great place to store equipment underneath. The couch will hide the fitness equipment in plain sight while the behind-the-couch bar will make a great and convenient decoration for everyone who is seated around the couch. The only thing you need to keep in mind is to store only equipment that’s lower than the couch so it’s not visible to anyone in the living room.
8. Wall-Mounted Solutions
Wall-mounted solutions are good for two reasons. They can be cabinets that will completely hide the exercise equipment, or they can be shelves or any kind of wall-mounted solutions that will add to the design of your living room, but will also allow you to expose and display some of the fitness equipment you’re proud to show.
Fitness equipment can be a theme and it can be visible to the visitors and it will still have a space in the room without getting in the way. On the other way, closed cabinets will create a lot of space for storage, which is also a great thing to consider.
9. Custom Slipcovers
Custom slipcovers are a great way to protect your couch, chairs, and any other furniture. It’s also ideal for storing fitness equipment. If you have furniture that has space underneath, a custom slipcover will help cover the furniture to the ground, hiding the hidden equipment underneath your furniture. Since it’ll also look like a great touch to your living room, it’s a win-win situation.
10. Slide-Out Panels
Slide-out panels can be a bit of work to install, but they can transform your living room and create a completely new space that’s separate from your living room. Depending on the size of your living room, this is a great way to even build your own small exercise area that won’t be visible to anyone who’s sitting in the living room.
11. Trunks and Chests
If you’re into trunks and chests, they will definitely go well with certain living room interiors and styles. They’re not for everyone, although they can give you so much more storage space if you have a place to put them. While they’re not ideal for smaller living rooms, they’re perfect for larger living rooms and for hiding every single piece of your exercise equipment from your visitors.
12. Bookshelf Camouflage
Bookshelves are a great place to store not only books but also exercise equipment. That’s where bookshelf camouflage comes in place. Bookshelf camouflage is a great addition to the style and decor of the living room, and while you still get to display books, you can also hide certain aspects of the bookshelf camouflage. Now, place the exercise equipment behind the camouflage and that’s how you successfully hide exercise equipment in your living room.
13. Foldable Equipment
Depending on your workout exercises and routine, foldable equipment may be a great way to do even cardio that requires larger equipment in the living room space. For example, a smaller foldable treadmill is a great way to get a lot of cardio done and then you can fold it and store it underneath your couch or bed. While these usually invest, they’re really good at hiding your exercise equipment.
14. Bins
Decorative bins make a perfect way to add a little touch to your living room, but they also offer a lot of space you can use to store your fitness equipment inside. Depending on the style, design, and size of the bin, you can most likely store smaller and medium-sized equipment without any issues.
15. Multi-Functional Furniture
Multi-functional furniture such as pop-up desks or a couch with storage space underneath can transform the way you not only store but also hide your equipment. We’ve mentioned storage ottomans, but if you have or can purchase multi-functional furniture that offers as much storage, that’s a good idea.
Any type of multi-functional furniture is most likely to open up or have some sort of storage space. Depending on the type of furniture, you can expect to store anything from smaller exercise equipment to larger ones. Since multi-functional furniture is made to increase functionality, you’ll have easy access to all your exercise equipment, yet it just won’t be in plain sight – making it a perfect choice for everyone who wants to hide any fitness-related equipment from their living room.
How to Store Exercise Equipment in Small Space?
If you’re dealing with a small space, the best way to store equipment is to make the most of closet space. Any extra space you have in your closet or storage area, use it to hide equipment out of plain sight.
Using the wall space is another great way to mount the exercise equipment if you don’t mind it being visible. Some people don’t mind it while others would rather hide it since it’s not the best decor out there.
Building or purchasing a small storage cabinet, especially the ones you can mount on the walls is also a good idea. This way, you’d keep things off the floor and still wouldn’t overcrowd your small living space. It’s also a good way to get creative with your storage.
One of the most overlooked storage spots is the under-bed space. Even if you have a couch, the chances are you can lift it up and you’ll find that there’s just enough storage space underneath.
Lastly, if you still have a lot more exercise equipment to put away but don’t have any storage left in your small living space, if you have a garage, you should put it to use. While it might be a hassle storing things in the garage and picking them up every single time, remember that it is still an exercise.
Tips to Hide Exercise Equipment With Furniture
Hiding exercise equipment in the living room is a big task on its own, but if you’re trying to do it with your furniture, you have to get creative.
One of the most creative ways is to use a bookshelf that has doors to hide larger equipment such as a yoga ball or even a set of weights. Depending on the size of the bookshelf, you might even get a chance to store a smaller treadmill in there.
A console table that looks like a dresser is always a good way to hide smaller exercise equipment such as resistance bands in there while still keeping your living room and apartment stylish. Adjustable shelves also make things quite interesting for hiding things out of plain sight.
Round baskets, wine racks, cube units, storage benches, or even pegboards can be used to disguise exercise equipment and hide it as a part of the furniture.
Benefits of Hiding Exercise Equipment in Your Living Room
The biggest benefit of hiding exercise equipment in your living room is to keep things tidy. Since equipment won’t be lying around the living room, you’ll also get the impression that your living room is larger than it is.
Of course, the next benefit is the ability to keep your living room style intact while still getting the benefit of exercising in it. Having guests over won’t be an issue either since you will be able to have enough space to host a dinner party without your weights taking over the whole living room.
No matter how many sections of your home you need to store your equipment, you’ll still get a good exercise by bringing the equipment out before and putting it away after the exercise. Even if you have to use the garage, it’s still good exercise you won’t ever regret afterward.
Lastly, you might even get a new piece of furniture to hide your exercise equipment, so you’ll get to style your living room a bit more, which will add to the styling. This is a two-in-one benefit that even your partner might like, especially if they don’t like your equipment being all over the place.
How to Hide a Treadmill in Bedroom?
The treadmill is one of the best ways to get a good cardio and having one in your home might be a blessing, but also a curse if you don’t know where to store it. Hiding your treadmill in the bedroom can be a challenging task, but it’s not impossible to do.
The success of hiding the treadmill in your bedroom will depend on the size of your bedroom, type of the bed you have, but also the type of treadmill. If you have a compact treadmill that can be stored under the bed, you won’t have too many issues.
However, if you have a full-sized treadmill that might be harder to store, you’ll have to get creative to find a solution. Either a DIY solution that will incorporate the treadmill in your bedroom, a half wall, or drapes and curtains, as well as customized covers might be a good idea.
Again, this will depend a lot on the size of your bedroom, the treadmill type, and the space you are working within your bedroom. A treadmill cover might be worth it as well if you run out of options, and we’ll cover more than below.
Are Fitness Equipment Covers Worth it?
Fitness equipment covers are worth it because they protect the equipment while eliminating, often bulky, equipment views from sight. If you know someone talented, you can take advantage of their skills to paint the fitness equipment covers and incorporate them into the room much better.
This is an idea that crossed our minds as we were looking at the mostly blank and dull colors of these covers. Still, these covers are much better to have than not have if you don’t like the view of your room with all the exercise equipment in it.
Also, you can put more than just one large piece of exercise equipment underneath and see how much smaller equipment can you hide underneath the cover.
Conclusion
Hiding exercise equipment in your living room or throughout the apartment/house isn’t an easy task. But once you get it done and you know where to put your things away, you’ll combine the living room and the training ground with ease.
Knowing the tricks of how to hide exercise equipment in the living room can go a long way, especially if you’re living in a small apartment and don’t have much living space to work with. Also, remember that storing the equipment and taking it out for an exercise is also an exercise of its kind.
How can I hide my gym equipment at home?
Hiding your gym equipment at home is best done with curtains, storage cabinets, racks, shelves, or storing it in another room. Even if you have to, store equipment in the garage, so getting it will be another exercise you can do.
How can I hide my exercise bike in my living room?
Since an exercise bike is equipment that’s on the bigger side, it’s recommended to work your way with curtains. If you place the exercise bike near the window, you could take advantage of the curtains to hide it in plain sight.
Where can I hide my dumbbells?
Dumbbells are pretty easy to hide since they’re not too big. Hiding it behind the curtains, in the storage cupboard, inside of the couch (if you have storage), or behind the shelves is a good idea.
How do you hide an elliptical?
Hiding an elliptical is a bit harder, but it’s not impossible and curtains, dividers, or screens are your best friend. Other than that, mounting it to the wall and keeping it in plain sight is another decent option to make more space.
Where should a treadmill be placed in a bedroom?
If you have space under the bed and your treadmill is compact, it’s the best spot for it. Otherwise, being close to the window will ensure it’s not in the way and you can always hide it with the curtain so it’s not in plain sight.
