Improving acoustics in a living environment

How does poor acoustics occur?

The furnishing and styling of homes has changed in recent years. In the past, people often opted for carpets, upholstered furniture, and curtains. Nowadays, the choice is mainly for plastered walls, ceilings, laminate or tiled floors, and a lot of glass.

Upholstered furniture often gives way to artificial leather or solid furniture, and curtains (if present) are often made of thin fabrics with high light permeability. The layout/occupation of a living environment is often less crowded. Sleek, spacious, and bright are the choices that are usually made. The advantage of this style of furnishing is, of course, that the home exudes space, calm, and light. A downside, however, is echo and bothersome acoustics.

Acoustic discomfort often only becomes apparent once the space is furnished and the environment is truly used as a living space. Your home is furnished according to your wishes, and you would actually like to keep the decor as you envisioned it.

The annoying reverberation and acoustics do, however, mean that you will still look for a solution. Common questions that arise include: "How do I improve the acoustics?", "How much material do I need?" and "Where do I place the material?".

These questions often come up when we talk to customers in our showroom.

Below is a summary of a regular discussion in our showroom, where we answer the previously mentioned questions.

How do I improve the acoustics?

In short: acoustics is the science of sound. However, we don't need to be a scientist to understand the basic principles for improving good acoustics. 

Improving acoustics is most often achieved by placing the right sound-absorbing materials in the right locations. Each sound-absorbing material has an acoustic power. The higher the power, the more sound you essentially dampen. 

Additionally, it is important to place the materials in areas that cause reverberation. These are hard walls, floors, or ceilings. Poor acoustics arise from reflections off these surfaces. Therefore, it has no effect to place absorption materials under tables, on top of cabinets, or behind a painting.

How much material do I need?

The required amount of material to improve the acoustics in a space is often underestimated.

All hard wall and ceiling surfaces are part of the cause of the acoustic issues. Sound reflects from one side to the other via these hard surfaces, creating what can be described as a sound chamber effect.

In addition to the hard surfaces, the size of the room, the height of the ceiling, the furnishings, and the purpose of the room also play an important role.

• The larger the volume of the space, the more material is needed
• The lower the furnishings and hard furniture, the greater the risk of echo formation
• The requirements regarding the acoustics in a space where you spend a lot of time and seek relaxation are different from those in a space where you are present only briefly

For a noticeable improvement in the acoustics, it is important to ensure that sufficient hard surfaces in the space are provided with sound-absorbing material. The amount of material needed varies per room.

Where do I place the material?

A living environment in some cases requires a different approach compared to an office or commercial space. This is mainly due to the intended use of the space.

In an office space, the entire area is used intensively, a relatively large number of people are present, phones are ringing everywhere, discussions are taking place, and good acoustics are desired for every employee and workstation. Here, the right amount of material is an essential important factor.

Of course, the amount of square metres of sound-absorbing material plays an important role in every situation, including a residential environment. The more square metres of sound-absorbing material you install, the lower the acoustic disturbance will be.

In a living environment, the possibilities are often limited compared to an office space, and the emphasis is more on what is possible and desirable.

Human experience plays an important role in this as well. The experience of annoyance regarding the acoustics varies from person to person.

Specific reflections and places:

You have decided to install acoustic provisions in your home, but you want to keep the space as much as it is now. Here, an approach that targets specific areas within the room may be a good option. This is called absorbing specific reflections.

By placing sound-absorbing material as close as possible to the areas where you spend the most time or where an improvement in acoustics is most desirable, the acoustic comfort in these areas increases. Common areas include:

• The free wall space behind the sofa/seating area
• The ceiling above the coffee table
• The free wall space by the dining table
• The ceiling above the dining table

By enhancing the acoustic comfort in these areas, the disturbance in the most prominent places within the home has decreased, and in a larger number of cases, this has been resolved, with a relatively easy-to-achieve amount of sound-absorbing material.

If an expansion of acoustic facilities is needed, this is always possible at a later stage. We are happy to think along with you on this.

For concrete solutions, check out our wall solutions or ceiling solutions.