13 Sporty Homes That Deserve Gold Medals
This story is part of Design Goals, our week-long series celebrating the interplay between sports and style.
Whether you’re tuning in for the canoe slalom or the Lady Gaga performance, we’re all in deep Olympics mode right now—and as the games kick off, our eyes have been increasingly drawn to homes with an athletic aesthetic. Outfitted with climbing walls, lap pools, skate ramps, state-of-the-art fitness studios, and even monkey bars (!), these dwellings deserve gold medals of their own.
So while you’re waiting for the beach volleyball finals to air, why not take a lap through our list of ovation-worthy homes? We’d put ’em all on the podium, if we could.
The principals of Acre Architects installed a set of monkey bars in their playful New Brunswick home. The seafoam powder-coated bars can even be fitted with rings to give architects’ kids a different type of challenge.
When neighbors were getting rid of an old half pipe, the homeowners of this SoCal home scooped it up to create a skate ramp for their kids in the front yard. Plants border the ramp, making it feel like it has always been part of the landscape.
In this Australian home, a resort-worthy swimming pool sits beside an industrial-chic kitchen and living area. It’s a joy to swim in, of course, but the body of water also provides evaporative cooling for the courtyard.
This climbing wall was designed for a professional boulderer. Now, instead of spending his days off searching for crags, he can train at home on a wall with a 15-degree slope and expert-level climbing holds.
Yoga isn’t an Olympic sport (yet), but this serene backyard studio in Buenos Aires has us feeling inspired to get our sweat on nonetheless. The structure’s oversized windows and neutral wood finishes provide the homeowners with a soothing space to stretch it out.
This Los Angeles penthouse has us convinced that you don’t need a ton of space to get buff for your own Olympics trial. A handsome vintage punching bag and a few medicine balls are probably all you need to get in fighting shape, right?
There’s a lot to love about this gorgeous Vermont property—the minimalist half-court in a two-story barn is just one of its many delights.
The homeowners featured in this Budget Breakdown story are both active climbers. Even when they converted a garage into their tiny home, they made sure there was space in the courtyard to practice the sport they love.
Imagine working on your front stroke, and then waving at your partner as they take the stairs from the basement to the ground floor. This pool in Hermosa Beach, California, makes that whimsical dream a reality.
What sport can you train for in this Colorado home’s "ninja room?" Maybe a better question is: what sport CAN’T you train for? The personal gym was outfitted by a local climbing wall installer and an American Ninja Warrior gym.
Imagine practicing your diving (or maybe just your cannonball) in this ultra-deep pool in Phoenix. The pool is sheltered on all sides by white plaster walls, and the architect describes it as "half terrace, half cool-water retreat...projected toward the canopy of the desert sky."
This is your friendly reminder that table tennis is, in fact, an Olympic sport. In this East Texas home, a family can train at the drop of a spoon with an outdoor dining table that playfully converts to a ping pong table.
Sauna-ing may not be an official part of the Olympic programming, but you’d better believe that many elite athletes love a little shvitz. So why shouldn't we?
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