Renovating
9 Noise-Softening Tips for the Open-Plan Space
Lovely, big living areas are wonderful, but sound can travel. Here are some ways to control the noise level inside
Open-plan living spaces have many advantages for family life and entertaining, and they increase the opportunity to bring lots of natural light into your home. But they can end up being quite noisy. You may be surprised, however, at how easy it is to reduce sound travel with a few key additions to your furnishings. There are also structural changes you can make if you’re after a more robust fix.
2. Introduce rugs
Another way to deaden sound is to cover hard floors with rugs. Here, the use of a rug in the living space both minimises noise and helps define the seating area, making the room feel more intimate.
When it comes to rugs, the thicker the pile, the better the soundproofing, so a cut-pile rug will tend to work better than a flat-weave design.
Another way to deaden sound is to cover hard floors with rugs. Here, the use of a rug in the living space both minimises noise and helps define the seating area, making the room feel more intimate.
When it comes to rugs, the thicker the pile, the better the soundproofing, so a cut-pile rug will tend to work better than a flat-weave design.
3. Break it up
If you can, try to break up your open-plan space to create zones. This will also help contain the noise. Here, the feature wall maintains a visual connection with the space beyond while breaking up the room to create a more defined living area.
Forget Open-Plan – Try ‘Broken Plan’
If you can, try to break up your open-plan space to create zones. This will also help contain the noise. Here, the feature wall maintains a visual connection with the space beyond while breaking up the room to create a more defined living area.
Forget Open-Plan – Try ‘Broken Plan’
4. Add a storage wall
The wood-panelled wall in the middle of this large room works beautifully to separate the kitchen from the living area. This kind of feature can be a free-standing structure or a custom piece of furniture, making it a relatively easy and cost-effective solution to break up the space, since you won’t require any structural elements.
The wood-panelled wall in the middle of this large room works beautifully to separate the kitchen from the living area. This kind of feature can be a free-standing structure or a custom piece of furniture, making it a relatively easy and cost-effective solution to break up the space, since you won’t require any structural elements.
5. Fit a feature screen
If you can’t bring yourself to divide the space with something permanent, a nice alternative is to introduce a screen as a buffer between zones. It won’t be as effective as a solid structure, but it will help diffuse the noise slightly. The screen seen here allows a glimpse of the living space beyond.
If you can’t bring yourself to divide the space with something permanent, a nice alternative is to introduce a screen as a buffer between zones. It won’t be as effective as a solid structure, but it will help diffuse the noise slightly. The screen seen here allows a glimpse of the living space beyond.
6. Panel your walls
Large, flat, hard surfaces can amplify sound, so adding texture will help reduce this effect. Lining one of your walls with pieces of wood, as seen here, not only creates an interesting feature, it does the sound-dampening job.
For simpler design that is just as effective, use flooring material on the walls instead. Often, walls aren’t completely flat, so you’ll first need to add wood battens to the surface onto which you’ll attach your paneling. A good flooring contractor or woodworker can do this, or if you’re pretty confident at DIY, you could tackle it yourself.
Large, flat, hard surfaces can amplify sound, so adding texture will help reduce this effect. Lining one of your walls with pieces of wood, as seen here, not only creates an interesting feature, it does the sound-dampening job.
For simpler design that is just as effective, use flooring material on the walls instead. Often, walls aren’t completely flat, so you’ll first need to add wood battens to the surface onto which you’ll attach your paneling. A good flooring contractor or woodworker can do this, or if you’re pretty confident at DIY, you could tackle it yourself.
8. Fashion fabric panels
If wood’s not your style, consider covering one of your walls with some form of acoustic material. These padded fabric panels are highly effective at deadening sound. You can also buy off-the-shelf acoustic panel systems, which can be fixed to your walls and are easy to install.
If wood’s not your style, consider covering one of your walls with some form of acoustic material. These padded fabric panels are highly effective at deadening sound. You can also buy off-the-shelf acoustic panel systems, which can be fixed to your walls and are easy to install.
7. Bring texture to your ceiling
Just like walls, a large expanse of ceiling will encourage the spread of sound, so try adding a textured surface there too.
Just like walls, a large expanse of ceiling will encourage the spread of sound, so try adding a textured surface there too.
9. Go soft underfoot
Hard floor surfaces, such as tile, are less than ideal when it comes to controlling noise, so consider something like linoleum or rubber flooring instead, which is a durable and practical finish in a kitchen. It’s also soft underfoot, meaning it will absorb the clunk and clatter of cooking.
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How do you control noise in your open-plan room? Share your tips and photos in the Comments.
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How to Manage the Noise in Your Open Floor Plan
Hard floor surfaces, such as tile, are less than ideal when it comes to controlling noise, so consider something like linoleum or rubber flooring instead, which is a durable and practical finish in a kitchen. It’s also soft underfoot, meaning it will absorb the clunk and clatter of cooking.
TELL US
How do you control noise in your open-plan room? Share your tips and photos in the Comments.
MORE
How to Manage the Noise in Your Open Floor Plan
Large areas of glass, such as big windows and glass doors, act as bouncing-off points for sound to travel in an open-plan room. Introducing curtains will help deaden the noise. A sheer fabric works especially well, as it won’t totally block the light or views.
For maximum muffling, curtains work better than blinds, simply because there’s so much more fabric involved. Take a look at this example — a ceiling-to-floor solution in a substantial fabric that can be pushed back to make the most of the light when needed.