A few more details. Walls will be SW White Snow, doors will be SW Iron Ore. Floors will be white oak. I’d expect to find a bunch of Pinterest worthy mini gyms online, and I’m just not finding much beyond a black mat and a mirror. I want a space that will brighten my day. Checking with this company if their mats can be used for gym equipment, but wondering is something like this would introduce some fun?

If you want it to be fun, why not use a bright yellow- green wall to give yourself some energy? It looks like it has an air vent despite being a closet, but body heat could fill that space quickly. So a fan may help. Have you considered adding a bar, horizontal or vertical, depending on your preferred sport, or mirrors? A space for clean and dirty towels perhaps. The other thing I would want is cold liquid, but your kitchen might be close enough.

Couple things

If you really do a workout be aware sweat will splash onto walls. Wipe-down friendly surfaces are best.

If Peloton recommends a certain type of mat, go with their recommendation and if you have any questions about your new floors standing up to Peloton use or any mat they recommend be sure to ask.

Do you want music or a tv in there?

Think about what you might want/need to reach for or be able to see while exercising and make that possible. Your cell phone? A tv remote? Water? Clock? Just spitballing. You get the point.

Is this on the 2d floor? Do you need to minimize the sound of you exercising for anyone else in the house?

Lucky you! I can see putting an iced mocha up on the "shelf" while biking. Enjoy!

The reason all you see are black mats and mirror ?

Generally, folks want weights. A yoga mat. rubber bands. etc in addition to any cardio equipment. A full mirror brightens any gym but plays an equally important role in allowing the users to check their form when doing ANY exercise from free weights to Pilates to yoga.

I've nothing against Peleton, or any other cardio such as elipticals or treadmill. But if you want the much improved "body" and the long term weight control, and strength and agility ? You want more in your workout and more space. You also don't want to ruin the flooring in the closet. The hard rubber mat in a gym is over a concrete slab. ......and a kids play mat won't do the trick.

If the guests are infrequent? Take the entire room ! Yes, to giving your heart a workout - but add free weights and bands and be astounded. Think six days a week , three for the Peleton and three for strength and agility - you will look in a mirror at yourself in six months and your day will most definitely start........bright : ) and you'll FEEL it too.

If you've ever wondered why folks are able to "drag" themselves to a gym daily? It's the spirit of others, the vast variety of ways to exercise every muscle and a lot of it is the big one in your head. That's the one that counts in the end and makes you stick with it for a life time.

Great suggestions, thank you! Love the practical advice of what else I’d want to reach for in the room since this isn’t a type of room/function I have experience with. It is in our basement, and there’s a full kitchen nearby for water. The guest room it’s attached to is massive (bigger than our bedroom), so I wouldn’t want to dedicate that much space, and I am not a fan of exercise equipment placed in a random part of a room if you have another option. There’s a laundry/utility room past the bifold doors, so we can still put a stand-alone closet rail in there, leaving this large closet space available to use as something else.

Regarding mats, I can't help with any fun/colorful mats, but if you decide to go with the standard black mats, don't pay $$$ for the gyms mats from a sporting goods store. Go to a tractor supply or similar rural supply type place, and get horse stall mats.

I also agree with Jan regarding adding some sort of resistance training. A set of adjustable dumbbells takes up practically no space, and with dumbbells, a bench (preferably adjustable), and some floor space, you'll have everything needed for a full body strength routine.

There's a lot you can do in that space. Not sure if you're asking for aesthetic or function. We have a gym space that's about 16'x8' and we have a peloton, treadmill, squat rack, bench, and weight set. Treadmill and squat rack both fold up so we can use the floor space for other things when not in use. Pelotons don't take up that much space. If you're asking about additional equipment you can add, check out PRX. They have a lot of wall mounted options. There are also vertical/A-frame dumbbell racks that only take up a small amount of floor space (we looked into one but DH has a huge range of dumbbells so it wouldn't fit what he needed).

I used to take spin classes and those were always taught in a dark room with "mood" lighting...typically black lights. If you're looking to get that vibe, consider adding some alternative lighting. Could do a light string around the room, for example. And yes, a mirror.

FYI I have a home gym but I find going to the gym keeps me much more motivated and I do agree you also need a weight stack and a big mirror this is sapce to be focused on a particular thing. I do not have a Peleton but they will know how much space they take .As for floor damage you bet this is an issue so make sure whatever you put on the floor to protect it is not ruining the floor. How do you plan to have guests and where will they hang their clothes and how will you work out . I prefer a workout space in a basement or garage where if it is a bit messy it does not matter . BTW I have a weight bench with adjustable weights under it to save some space the drawback is the weights do not go very heavy. I think this requires you te really analyze what oyu need and how it will work in the space ,BTW I like to see outsdie when I workout so a closet not so much.

@SH since you maybe indicated you are looking for thoughts on what else you might use in your exercise room... I use ankle weights and 5lb dumbbells. I don't have an exercise room or mat. They fit under a chair. I also have a sunken living room and use it for stair-stepping exercises. I've though that if I ever didn't have that I'd find someone to build me a stable step. Trying to keep knee support in case I need knee replacement surgery. I listen to music with an old iPod. I have an outlet to keep it charged. Just some random thoughts. Feel free to ignore.

Thanks, everyone! I was never consistent and had never really used a bike before we were in this rental. I’ve always had access to several gyms that I never used (work and our country club), but it’s been a game changer to have found something I like with the convenience of in home since I have young kids and a full time job. Yes, was asking both look and function. Most of the examples I was finding were either a full room size home gym or a piece of equipment in a living room. Love the suggestions for other equipment I might find useful as I expand my routine that could still fit in the small space I have to dedicate. FYI, There is another closet past the bifold doors where guests could still hang clothes on a stand-alone rack.

Have you considered something like the PRX folding gym rack? https://prxperformance.com/ 

It's designed for home spaces or garages, mounts on the wall and can be put away when you want to do something else.

Weight lifing has changed my life. Forget cardio. Build muscles if you want to lose weight, lose fat and be stronger. It's a cardio workout, too.

I just (almost) finished my mini-gym! It’s in what I suspect was supposed to be a closet off the bathroom, but was built as a kind of tub room. We had never used the tub in 13 years so finally removed it and added the equipment. I love that the machines no longer live in the living areas. The room is only a little bigger than 6x5 but the window helps. The floor is cheap vinyl tile but before I had the machines on hardwood and there was no damage at all. Good luck!