Chris Howell is the founder of SPX, a gym design company working at the intersection of fitness, hospitality and lifestyle - creating aspirational spaces that do more than just house equipment. His approach blends physical function with emotional resonance, drawing on storytelling, service design and high standards from the best of hospitality.
This conversation is about human experience, what makes a space memorable and why design decisions are also brand decisions. Chris speaks with clarity and warmth about career transition, creative leadership and the ongoing tension between digital convenience and analogue connection - especially in wellness.
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There’s a clear sense throughout that Chris sees design as a vehicle for storytelling - not in a superficial sense, but as a way to shape emotion, loyalty and belonging. His reflections on projects with hotels and service-led businesses underline that true service goes much deeper than we expect and that how something makes you feel matters just as much as how it works.
We talk about the evolution of the gym from a practical space to something far more aspirational. Chris shares how SPX designs with that in mind, creating spaces that fit seamlessly into high-end residential and hospitality environments.
The conversation also opens out into personal territory - his shift from finance to fitness, and the process of building a business aligned with personal interest and purpose. Chris is candid about the realities of that journey, the value of hiring for cultural fit and the impact AI may have on the future of recruitment.
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Chris brings a thoughtful balance between craft and curiosity, blending the practicalities of commercial design with an intuitive feel for how people move through space. What stood out most was his willingness to hold onto high standards without becoming rigid and to let the emotional quality of a space guide the decisions behind it.
Chris reminds us great design isn’t just about what’s seen, it’s about what’s sensed.
