This compact gym by Cassina and Technogym takes up less than one square metre

Cassina Custom Interiors partnered with Technogym and Italian architect Giulia Foscari of studio Una/Unless to debut the Ottagono Wellness Gym at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in the French Riviera.

Based on an octagon, the column has been hand-lacquered (in this case to match the evocative colours of the sea and vegetation surrounding the Antibes hotel).

Foscari's initial idea was to create a compact 'room within a room', a space that could be multifunctional and be adapted to several uses. 'On its summit, a lighting system transforms Ottagono into a light that shines upwards as a floor lamp combining and merging in a single object furniture design and a lighting system,' says the architect. The top of the 1.9 metres column is characterised by a series of recessed LEDs, while the interior of the object also features dimmable and remote controlled lights.

For the object's debut, Foscari and Cassina involved Technogym, the octagonal cabinet-like volume being a natural solution for a compact home gym. When closed, the Ottagono Gym looks like a bold but unassuming element in the room. Once open, it reveals its functionality with a series of elements essential to a complete training session, as its shelves and hooks are fitted with Technogym classics.

It includes the company's Connected Dumbells, fitted with an internal sensor that analyses movement and performance, with an adjustable weight from 2 to 24 kg, as well as kettlebells, resistance bands, mobility sticks, mats, foam rollers, and a jump rope. One door opens to reveal a full mirror, and at the centre is an integrated screen to enhance the gym and wellness experience through Technogym's dedicated virtual technologies. The interior is also fitted with space for a smartphone.

The gym is now part of Hotel du Cap Eden Rock's permanent offering, and it is also installed at the hotel's newly inaugurated Villa La Guettière. 'This partnership embodies our unwavering commitment to offering our guests ever more exclusive experiences, where art, design, and well-being harmoniously merge within the refined setting of our legendary establishment,' says Philippe Perd, Managing Director of the Hotel.

The object, Foscari explains, was born from a dialogue with her mother, architect Barbara Foscari, who first had the idea of a room within a room. 'Ottagono is an architectural object, an autonomous presence in space, a habitable monolith that transforms its function according to its contents,' she says. 'As a synthesis of furniture and light, it opens new possibilities for the design of contemporary and historic interiors.'

The project is part of Cassina's Custom Interiors series, a collection of furniture designs defined by a high versatility that can be adapted to a customer's specific needs. With Ottagono, the Cassina Custom Interiors series is enriched with bigger opportunities to shape spaces with enhanced functionality