a house (of pilates) built for movement — here’s to the next decade of pilates in CT.

loved the sound of chapel street, so I signed a 10 year lease.

february 2026 — the beggining 02.11.26 — initial interest

Wether living in CT, moving away, or traveling- I would always crave a good movement space. The wow-factor one that feels open- almost like a breath of fresh air, with a high standard of movement. The pinterest board studio. After actual years of experiencing many- none ever close to home, years of marketing for corporate, years of teaching and loving movement, I decided to finally create my own. Here's to building CT's best pilates studio over the next decade.

The first call to the broker for this space ended up life changing, because she knew me- from years ago when I had a small storefront juice/coffee bar in New Haven. Together we pitched a corporate property investment company the business plan and strategy behind House of Pilates. It just so happened they were searching for a movement studio to exist in their storefront which has been waiting for four years to become something.

march 2026 — walking into the possibility

03.04.26 — first walkthrough

Our first walkthrough of the space. Anyone who has ever been in my shoes will know when I say, when you know... you just know.

There’s something surreal about walking through an empty space and mentally placing everything that doesn’t exist yet — the mats, reformers, mirrors, lighting, music, members and classes. There's something surreal about feeling like you've seen that space before in your mind, like you've felt what it feels like to stand there in the open room and look through the floor to ceiling windows.

april 2026 — putting it on paper

04.07.26 — letter of intent negotiations + our first official flyers

LOI negotiations began while the first official House of Pilates flyers started circulating.

Behind the scenes, we were working through the business of securing a home and making sure it'll stand tall and thrive over the next 10 years. Crossing all the i's and dotting all the t's. Out in the community, we were beginning to introduce the house.

may 2026 — we found our home

05.15.26 — LOI terms negotiated + signed

After weeks of conversations and negotiations, the Letter of Intent was officially signed.

A major milestone — but only the beginning of the lease process.

05.20.26 — lease released + negotiations begin

The lease was released for our new-construction space and formal lease negotiations began with counsel.

Building a studio from a new-construction space meant thinking through everything from infrastructure to mechanical systems to the eventual flow of a Pilates class.

05.20.26 — the whit becomes official

We took our first photos inside the future studio and publicly shared our location:

the whit. chapel street. new haven.

House of Pilates officially had a storefront to call home.

june 2026 — the house becomes real

06.11.26 — lease + security deposit finalized

After months of planning and negotiations, the lease and security deposit were finalized.

We officially had our house.

06.13.26 — our first community pop-up

Before the studio was ready, we brought House of Pilates into the community with our first pop-up at a local art gallery.

Movement first. Walls later.

06.15.26 — the first banner goes up + memberships go live

Our first House of Pilates banner went up on Chapel Street.

And for the first time, memberships officially went live.

Watching people join a studio that was still being built was one of the earliest reminders that House of Pilates was becoming much bigger than a physical space.

06.18.26 — contractor + architect walkthroughs

We began walkthroughs with contractors and architects to determine the right team to execute the vision.

Every detail mattered — from the exposed industrial ceiling to the layout, mechanical systems, lighting and overall flow of the studio.

july 2026 — designing the house

07.01.26 — architectural + MEP meetings

Architectural planning continued alongside MEP — mechanical, electrical and plumbing — coordination.

This was the less glamorous but incredibly important part of bringing a studio to life.

07.05.26 — first architectural plans + renders

For the first time, the studio we had been imagining started appearing on paper.

Plans. Layouts. Renders.

The vision was becoming something we could actually see.

07.14.26 — more MEP meetings + walkthroughs

More walkthroughs, more coordination and more decisions behind the walls.

Building a studio inside new construction meant creating the aesthetic while simultaneously solving the infrastructure required to make it function.

07.25.26 — lululemon summer series× house of pilates

While construction planning continued, the community continued growing.

House of Pilates x Lululemon summer series was a dreamy event on the Yale Green with one of my favorite brands.

august 2026 — building the community while building the studio

08.01–08.30.26 — construction bids + landlord coordination

August became a month of construction bids, numbers, scopes and coordination between landlord and tenant work.

A huge portion of building a studio happens in conversations no one ever sees.

08.08.26 — sixr × house of pilates

We created content for our first Sixr Coffee collaboration at the studio — introducing the coffee cart that would become one of our community partners.

08.15.26 — lattes, matchas + membership Q&A

We gathered outside our future home for lattes, matchas and a House of Pilates membership Q&A.

The studio was still under construction, but the community was already showing up.

08.16.26 — bringing in my construction team

To help resolve the landlord + tenant workflow and keep the build moving, I pitched my own construction team to become involved in the process.

Another behind-the-scenes step toward finally getting construction underway.

late august — rooftop pilates × bejeweled matcha

While we waited for the studio build-out, we took House of Pilates upstairs.

Our rooftop Pilates event began with Bejeweled Matcha, followed by rooftop classes for The Whit residents and House of Pilates members.

The house didn’t need four finished walls to start feeling like a girl group. The girls that came and the content that was captured?--the chicest. <3

september 2026 — construction begins

09.04.26 — construction prep | insurance | clearance to start

Construction preparation officially began alongside insurance coordination and the final operational pieces needed before work could start.

After months of negotiations, plans, walkthroughs and coordination, we were getting close.

09.14.26 — industrial studio × house of pilates House of Pilates began offering movement through Industrial Studio while our Chapel Street build-out moved forward.Instead of waiting quietly for my permanent studio to be finished, I returned to a space I once knew and felt amazing in. A space that upon first impression- I knew had to incorporate movement. Here's to the first few hp classes & the og hp girls.

09.14.26 — construction officially begins

And then, finally:

Construction began inside House of Pilates.

Seven months after the initial interest in February

Six months after our first walkthrough in March.

Months of negotiations, architecture, engineering, contractor meetings, pop-ups, memberships, coffee, matcha, rooftop classes, problem-solving and building a community before we ever had a finished studio. and I'm only just a girl.

The walls are finally catching up to what my mind created a long time ago. 09.18.26 — framing is approved, the house is almost here.

just one day before my birthday, I got to approve the the framing structure of the studio. here is to the next decade of creating a movement sanctuary for the girls.

and now, we build the house.

House of Pilates was never meant to simply be a room filled with reformers and mats. It's meant to take your breath away and become a space that helps you feel at home in your body. Wether it's how your morning ritual begins, an exhale in the midst of a busy work day- this is your access to the highest version of yourself & a place of tranquility. Sometimes it'll be the only place you crave being.

The house has been built through every person I've been lucky to work with, every person I've seen become stronger, become their highest self through movement. Including myself.

The physical space is finally taking shape.

But the og house of pilates girls, came first.

welcome home, to your highest self.

xx, jules.