Where Fitness Intersects Interior Design: Paris Pilates Is The Most Instagramable Studio In Los Angeles

Most boutique fitness studios in Los Angeles have pretty standard builds. They’re clean, have a calming vibe, and are contemporary or modern in terms of design. However, there’s nothing really remarkable about the aesthetics. Enter Paris Pilates, which opened in spring 2019. Located in the trendy Silver Lake neighborhood, there is no other studio that offers even a remotely parallel experience. Every element of the space is intentional right down to the pink toilet paper.

The Inspiration

The studio’s creative director Jenny Williams has always been inspired by the many summers she spent in the City of Lights. 

“I am a Francophile and love all of France deeply,” she says. “I love the country, culture, food, and the people. [France] is full of rich vibrant colors, from the fuchsia shutters that adorn stone houses in the countryside to the couture. Their design is very much pulled together but it also feels very comfortable.”  

Saying Oui To Pilates

For Williams, design was a major part of branding the studio. “I thought the idea of having a Parisian theme would create a fun story with textures and layers as well as branding fun. I wanted a brand for the new 20’s!”

Walking into Paris Pilates doesn’t feel like walking into every other studio. Williams’ personal philosophy is that the design elements of a space influence the experience as whole. “It is an immediate calm that comes over you when you’re in the studio and you get to workout and stretch and look at all of the pretty pieces.”

In recent years, social media has changed interior design, especially for commercial spaces, with Instagram walls, bright colors and plenty of areas for photo opps. But what makes Paris Pilates so Instagramable is that the concept transcends social media. This is important because Pilates is so much about being in the present and living in the moment. It requires participants to focus on themselves and their own bodies. The studio is a visual love letter to a culture worlds away from the hipsters of Silver Lake and doing it for the ‘gram.

But don’t be fooled, quite a few influencers are big fans of the studio including Jaclyn Johnson, Éden Mari Haviv, Madison Grace, and Nazy Farnoosh.

 The Design

Williams is equally gifted in DIY as she is teaching Pilates. She oversaw the project as a whole, choosing, building and designing several pieces herself. Some of this was because of budget, but practicality also a factor. For example, Williams really wanted tile floors in the lobby. However, the tile she wanted was going to take too long to import. She realized concessions needed to be made. “I chose to do a concrete painted [floor] with epoxy in a matching shade and with a sheen. It almost reflects, it is very beautiful and wears well.”  

Two of the most notable elements of the space are the walls and ceiling. Williams painted the ceiling Paris Pink from Portola LA. The wood beams are accented with Mitzi brass fixtures from Hudson Valley lighting on dimmer switches. 

The walls are painted Portola’s Chalky White, which she says reminds her of plaster.

Clearly a standard wall of mirrors wasn’t going to cut it in the studio. Williams found the show stopping gilt mirrors at Restoration Hardware.

The wood flooring also enhances the overall appearance of the space. Williams went with European white oak because she finds it reminiscent of a Parisian apartment. Designed in a chevron pattern, it’s sophisticated and elegant.

The design of the bathroom is upscale and cheerful. The studio collaborated with Oh Joy who supplied their Cle tiles. The Pink sink was sourced from Whyte and Co and features gold Kohler faucets. Even the wall-mounted toilet was imported from Europe. 

It’s almost impossible not to notice the pink toilet paper, which Williams buys from France. “My first trip many years ago to the countryside and the house I stayed in had pink toilet paper. I thought it was so special, but came to discover that all of France uses pink as their white! My good friend that lives in Paris sends it over from time to time just for the studio.”

As for the lobby, Williams designed and built the desk herself, taking a basic frame of plywood, painting it and adding the moldings. Everything else is furnished and accessorized mostly with vintage pieces sourced from Les Puces flea market in France.

This post first appeared on Forbes.com. To see the original, click here.