Game. Set. Style.

What the US Open Can Teach Us About Designing Better Spaces

Every August, something interesting happens in New York. The US Open becomes more than a tennis tournament. It transforms into a cultural event where elite athletics, luxury fashion, celebrity culture, design, and lifestyle all collide. The matches may be the main attraction, but the style conversations often become just as loud. From Naomi Osaka's fashion-forward looks to the growing influence of tenniscore and luxury brand partnerships, today's tennis world is as much about identity and self-expression as it is about competition.

For those of us who design luxury interiors, that's a fascinating shift. Because the most compelling spaces aren't purely functional anymore. They're performance spaces. They're personal stages. They're environments that support both what we do and how we want to feel doing it.

And nowhere is that idea more evident than in the growing intersection of sport, fashion, and design.

The Rise of the Performance Lifestyle

Tennis has always occupied a unique place in culture. It's athletic but refined. Competitive but elegant. Technical yet aspirational.

The sport's influence on fashion stretches back more than a century, when players like Suzanne Lenglen began redefining what athletic clothing could be—introducing freedom of movement, personal expression, and style to the court. Today that relationship has only intensified.

Luxury houses partner with top players. Fashion publications cover tournament style as closely as match results. The US Open has become a showcase not only for athletic excellence but for personal branding and lifestyle aesthetics. The result is a new category of consumer: people who don't separate performance from style. They want both. And increasingly, they want their homes to reflect that same philosophy.

Beyond the Home Gym

For years, wellness spaces meant a treadmill shoved into a spare bedroom. Not anymore.

Today's luxury homeowners are asking for environments that support active lifestyles while maintaining the beauty and sophistication of the rest of the home.

We're seeing requests for:

• Golf simulators that feel like private clubs

• Recovery lounges with sauna and cold plunge experiences

• Athletic dressing rooms dedicated to tennis, golf, skiing, cycling, or fitness

• Equipment displays that showcase passions instead of hiding them

• Wellness suites that blend technology, organization, and hospitality

In other words, spaces that feel more like the player lounge at a Grand Slam than a basement gym.

The Tennis Closet

One of our favorite examples is what we call the Athletic Closet. Imagine a dedicated wardrobe environment designed around an active lifestyle. Custom storage for rackets, ventilated cabinetry for shoes, drawers for grips, watches, sunglasses, and accessories. It's not about storing equipment. It's about celebrating identity.

Just as a fashion wardrobe deserves a beautiful home, so does a collection built around sport.

Fashion Meets Function

The most successful tennis-inspired spaces borrow from the same qualities that make the sport so visually appealing:

Precision.
Every inch has a purpose.

Rhythm.
Repetition, alignment, and balance create visual calm.

Lightness.
Clean lines, open sightlines, and uncluttered surfaces.

Performance.
Beauty that works as hard as it looks.

Whether expressed through warm oak, creamy lacquer, brushed nickel, woven leather, or crisp white finishes, the goal is the same: creating environments that feel effortless. The same way the best athletes make extraordinary performance look easy.

Designing for Passions

Perhaps the biggest lesson from the US Open isn't about tennis at all. It's about passion and personality. People are increasingly designing their homes around the things they love most. Wine collectors create tasting rooms. Car enthusiasts build galleries. Fashion lovers create dressing rooms. And athletes deserve spaces that celebrate their pursuits with the same level of intention.

Because great design isn't just about organizing belongings. It's about making room for the life you want to live. And if the US Open reminds us of anything each year, it's that performance and style don't have to compete. The best examples of both happen when they work together.