"I don't have a dining room table - just a bar set-up on the kitchen island," he said. "This frees up a decent space to do push ups, roll out the yoga mat, or use my TRX."

It is easily removed - "so I could take it down if friends are coming over" - but mostly, Barkey does not bother. He finds the equipment visually unobtrusive, and something of a novelty among guests, who tend to "swing off it like monkeys".

Personal trainer Alex de Fina, founder and CEO of Bikini Fit Asia also appreciates the TRX's minimal design impact. "It can be anchored to a ceiling or door frame without being a design eyesore," he said.

He also advocates investing in small items of equipment, which can enhance the benefits, and even mimic a lot of gym movements. He recommends plastic push-up handles, for extra leverage on floor workouts, resistance bands for torque, and an inflatable ab mat that enhances resistance training. All are available cheaply at sports stores or online. He would also have a quality yoga mat, for essential stretching. The cheap ones absorb moisture and will not last in Hong Kong's humid climate, de Fina says.

Or let your furniture do the heavy lifting. It's a rare beast who doesn't bring some work home, and stand-up desks are all the rage - some even with built-in treadmills. Latest models include the high-tech Stir Kinetic Desk F1 from Stirworks, a touchscreen-operated model from America with software that learns your standing and sitting habits over time, and feeds that data to your Fitbit via Bluetooth connection.

The new Tao Chair from US firm Tao-Wellness , looks a bit like an Eames chair, but with fitness sensors running through it. The company calls it an "invisible gym". The user can do a range of core exercises while sitting down - including curls, presses and leg lifts - with an armrest display counting the calories burned and pounds pressed. It is expected to be ready in mid-2016, at a cost of around US$1,200.

Liquid Interiors' CEO Rowena Gonzales says more Hongkongers are seeking exercise opportunities in their homes. "In one of our projects we are designing a multipurpose guest bedroom and meditation/yoga room," she says. It is designed to be "relaxingly bright and minimal", with low cushions on the floor, floor lanterns for candles, motivational messages in the hand-painted calligraphy artwork, plants for fresh air, and hidden storage for yoga mats, etc. The sleeping arrangement is a Murphy bed - completely concealed - with a "discreetly reflective" side that can be used as a mirror when doing yoga.

"There are some types of innovative furniture that can transform into very stylish exercise equipment which we would love to use in future projects," Gonzales says, citing No, Sweat! by Vancouver-based designer Darryl Agawin, which goes from workstation to workout where "hundreds of exercises can be extrapolated", and Disguised Exercise, by Yanko Design, which appears to be an upright planter, but is in fact an exercise apparatus equipped with pulley systems for strength training, and a padded mat for stretching and ab workouts. The Ram & Row, by French designer Patrick Saint-Martin, is another example of exercise equipment in disguise: a wooden side table that unfolds into a rowing machine.