Delivering on brand and experience, the empowering design of FoxFit by Mim Design – a female fitness facility in inner Melbourne – seeks to inspire individual achievement in an energised environment befitting its clientele and their needs.

With influence drawn from the facility’s urbane location and industrial past, Mim Design conceived a narrative that unites the practical rigours of a fitness environment with the emergence and desirability of the “athleisure” lifestyle.

Seeking to animate and motivate, the studio harnessed the power of colour – fiery orange and electrifying neon – to establish a tone of command. Tracing the guest experience from motivation to connection, practicality and retreat, Mim Design’s largely female team were able to draw on their own fitness experiences to inform the design.

Mim Design Fox Fit Melbourne Fitness Wellness Interiors Photo Peter Clarke Yellowtrace 02 Mim Design Fox Fit Melbourne Fitness Wellness Interiors Photo Peter Clarke Yellowtrace 01 Mim Design Fox Fit Melbourne Fitness Wellness Interiors Photo Peter Clarke Yellowtrace 03 Mim Design Fox Fit Melbourne Fitness Wellness Interiors Photo Peter Clarke Yellowtrace 04 Mim Design Fox Fit Melbourne Fitness Wellness Interiors Photo Peter Clarke Yellowtrace 05 Mim Design Fox Fit Melbourne Fitness Wellness Interiors Photo Peter Clarke Yellowtrace 06 Mim Design Fox Fit Melbourne Fitness Wellness Interiors Photo Peter Clarke Yellowtrace 07 Mim Design Fox Fit Melbourne Fitness Wellness Interiors Photo Peter Clarke Yellowtrace 08 Mim Design Fox Fit Melbourne Fitness Wellness Interiors Photo Peter Clarke Yellowtrace 09 Mim Design Fox Fit Melbourne Fitness Wellness Interiors Photo Peter Clarke Yellowtrace 10 Mim Design Fox Fit Melbourne Fitness Wellness Interiors Photo Peter Clarke Yellowtrace 11 Mim Design Fox Fit Melbourne Fitness Wellness Interiors Photo Peter Clarke Yellowtrace 12 Mim Design Fox Fit Melbourne Fitness Wellness Interiors Photo Peter Clarke Yellowtrace 13 Mim Design Fox Fit Melbourne Fitness Wellness Interiors Photo Peter Clarke Yellowtrace 14

With numerous physical activities on offer, space planning and a delineation of zones were essential to achieving functional requirements. A practical flow of spaces that welcome arrival, encourage activity, and end in respite are overlayed with design cues that speak to strength and empowerment, with no gendered “norms” in sight.

Mim Design reinvigorated the original brickwork and a sawtooth roof with the addition of black steel supports, perforated metal and timber detailing. Natural stone and porcelain mosaic tiles add a sense of quiet refinement in contrast to the site’s industrial bones.

Designed with reason and intent, FoxFit by Mim Design is the embodiment of female empowerment – a space that speaks to brand through design, and reward through achievement in an environment that inspires.

[Images courtesy of Mim Design. Photography by Peter Clarke.]