A house feels like a home when you can relax in it. Calming insulation, decor materials, flooring, doors, and windows all combine to create a quiet space that melts your stress away. Well, they can. How do you achieve this peaceful interior? Let's find out.
Especially in old homes, hard floors are noisy. There's the creak of old wood and the slap of feet against concrete. To muffle noise, and to keep your floors relaxing and soft, try carpet and/or rugs. If you can still hear an old wooden floor creaking afterward-- replace it!
You may think of curtains as solely for beauty, but they can also be for noise reduction if you get the right material. If this is your goal for you curtains, choose heavy materials, brocade, wool, or velvet. If you also want curtains to dull the light, but not eliminate it, you can double layer the curtains. Put a sheer curtain in the back to use only when you need light dulled, and pull both layers shut for noise reduction.
Glass or hollow doors will allow sound in. You may not realize it, but most doors are hollow! If you need to reduce outside noise, like from a highway, invest in a solid wood door. Don't swamp to metal doors, they're usually hollow too, and sliding doors are usually too thin to help much.
If your windows are single glazed, they aren't doing you any favours in the noise reduction department, or the energy efficiency department for that matter. Windows need double, or triple glazing. To help with noise reduction they also need a sturdy frames. You really should hire a professional to install your windows, their seal is important and easy to ruin.
You probably didn't realize this, but books are excellent sound proofing. Especially in the home office or the bedroom, have the shelves go to the ceiling, for maximum sound proofing. Remember, books can be frustrating if disorderly and require strict organization.
You're not always trying to get complete silence. Often, you're looking to reduce the influence of sounds from other rooms or from outside. To this end, consider adding a peaceful sound to your space. A fireplace's crackle is a great option. You can also play gentle noises like rain, running water, bird sounds, or ocean waves.
An open-concept floor is stylish, but it won't help your noise reduction. They tend to have lots of empty space, which carries noise well. Tuck furniture comfortably close together, erect partial walls, and build windows into existing walls to keep an open look but still limit the transfer of noise.