Italian outdoor furniture specialist Ethimo are bringing a distinctly resort perspective to the world of fitness through their latest collaboration, with Studio Adolini. While Ethimo is based between Milan and the outskirts of Rome, an affinity for the leisure culture of the Mediterranean informs its array of yachting, sport, and outdoor furniture. And for its Summer’24 collection, Ethimo heads to the splendor of Comporta (dubbed “the Hamptons of Portugal”) complete with sweeping views of coastal national park Parque Natural da Serra da Arrábida.
Blue skies, sand dunes, cork forests, and a prevailing vision where nature is king informs the brand’s current collaboration with the architects behind Studio Adolini. The firm, is known for everything from quietly intense, fortress-like headquarters for Italy’s most distinguished furniture and interiors brands to historically sensitive renovations of grandiose architecture like Museo di Palazzo Doebbing. Studio Adolini has lent Ethimo its architectural know-how to craft Out-Fit, an open-air gym setup guaranteed to pass the vibe check for even the most opinionated aesthetes.
Out-Fit’s design directive is refreshingly simple: getting users out from behind all manner of screens, “smart” devices, and apps that have overloaded the wellness world and instead allowing them to commune with their bodies and nature. An earth-tone palette of teak, leather, and rust-hued wood go easy on the eyes and transport fitness fiends straight to the idyllic landscapes of Portugal. The eight-by-eight-foot structure is packed with a retro-inspired setup of a punching bag, parallel bars, bench, climbing bars, gymnastics rings, and a teak floor for free-weights and calisthenics. A teak slatted roof offers shade, and its self-contained nature makes it equally suited to summer homes or spas, or even as an en-suite amenity at a destination hotel. But perhaps its best offering is actually what it lacks—screens or technology of any sort. There’s nothing like going totally off the grid to get centered.
