The Listening Room

A snug room with a brief to prepare for socialising and listening to music. This is a relatively small, bare space opening out into a tiled kitchen/dining area, so an abundance of reflective surfaces. I've found that in acoustically bright rooms people tend to raise voices to overcome the reverb, and play music at a greater volume for the same reason. Of course, as the volume increases, so does the reverb and the problem feeds itself.

The client wanted a built-in seating area (a free-standing table followed) with some form of acoustic treatment to help calm the space. With budget in mind, I opted for a mix of Acupanel slat wood absorption panels built onto batons and oak-veneered MDF sheets with glass-fibre filling, all cut to a bespoke geometric design. Applied in opposite corners, the result is a warm, gentle space with notable hush that invites music and conversation.