Photograph: Alok Bhagat
If you live in a house located in a densely populated zone or in a noisy apartment, you might get a lot of unwanted sound every now and then. Architect Alok Bhagat gives tips to weaken that unwanted sound entering inside your home with few tips.
- Thick carpet or underpad: Sound waves bounce off from hard surfaces as most of it is reflected and absorbed by soft surfaces. Investing in a thick carpet or certain area rug that contains a good quality underpad underneath will act as an absorber not just for outside noises but regular furniture sounds or anything moved on the floor. If you aren’t comfortable with thick carpets, layering of area rugs over each other will work efficiently as well.
- Heavy drapes: Switch to curtains or drapes to lower down the sound. Also, it’s very important to choose heavy fabrics altogether for example velvet over others. Likewise if you currently have cotton or linen window coverings, it would be wise to replace them with heavy fabric as that will reduce the level of sound a bit. Styles like pleated curtains can double and even triple the noise reduction compare to flat curtains of identical weight.
- Soft furnishings: This will always have an edge over hard furnishings when it comes to sound absorption. It won’t eliminate the noise completely, but will define the worth of switching as it's worth to consider switching out a hard side chair for a soft one or perhaps opting for an upholstered bench. Reducing the overall number of hard surfaces will be very helpful in decreasing the noise pollution.
- Wall hangings: This is another great way to eliminate sounds. To achieve the best solution, it is suggested to mount fabric wall hangings over photographs or paintings. They not only dampen sound but also add colour to your room. It is important to recognize that the above elements are not a complete noise deduction solution, but joining all together might help your space to achieve the desire sound environment.