Sound Design to Control Noise
Sound design is an element that many designers overlook. By sound design we mean the things you do to control sound in your environment. This covers everything from sound reduction to systems for music and multimedia sound. Anyone with a house full of active kids knows how much sound they can generate. Add in noisy appliances and a television or media system and you have a lot of noise in your environment.
Reducing Fatigue
Excessive sound levels are fatiguing, cause stress and offer a potential for hearing damage. Most kitchens have many square feet of hard reflective surfaces that contribute to the cacophony of a busy room. Balancing these hard surfaces with soft absorbent ones like upholstered furnishings, area rugs and curtains can help reduce ambient sound levels by reducing the reflected sound in the room.
Sound escaping the kitchen into other rooms, particularly overhead into bedrooms can also be a problem. Solutions include installation of insulation in joist spaces before the ceilings or walls are installed and using double thicknesses of drywall or other wall materials. Alternating a dense wall surface with a soft fill interior stops sound waves from passing through to other rooms.
Controlling Outside Noise Pollution
This is also effective for reducing outside noise. In city environments or near busy roads, outside sound can contribute to a stressful environment at home. If you’re replacing windows, ask for the STC or sound transmission coefficient of the window and buy the best you can afford. These are usually double glazed and more energy efficient than standard windows, yielding additional benefit for the extra dollars spent. Quilted blinds are also available that are specifically designed to block sound transmission.
Music, Radio and Multi-Media Sound
Besides reducing sound you should be considering designing sources for music and radio in your kitchen. Speaker wiring needs to be run, preferably in walls, and space set aside for wall mounted or in-wall speakers. The kitchen is often an ideal environment for listening as you work preparing meals and during social functions. Music contributes to the same overall ambiance that lighting does and has the added benefit of masking outside sounds.
