Small homes and studios

Kitchen Acoustic Design for Small homes and studios

Find the noise source and its route through the space. Treat sound leaking between rooms differently from echo inside one room.

Kitchen inspiration: an L-shaped work surface and integrated lighting.

Plan in this order

List sources of speech, equipment and impact noise at the busiest time.
Put quiet work away from busy edges where possible. Check doors, gaps and service penetrations before adding finishes.
Use absorption for excessive echo. Ask an acoustic specialist where speech privacy or isolation is essential.

Worked example

A blender and extractor make conversation difficult in an open kitchen that faces the lounge.

Locate the loudest equipment away from the seating edge, add soft furnishings outside cooking clearances, and test with both rooms occupied.

How to test it

Recreate the noisier activity and listen from adjoining seats and rooms with doors both open and closed.

Apply it to this space

Layout: Group cooking and cleanup together and reserve a clear landing surface beside the refrigerator.
Detail: Use compact, full-extension drawers and continuous under-cabinet task light.
Trade-off: Open shelves make a small kitchen feel lighter but expose visual clutter.

Kitchen inspiration: two opposing work runs in a compact plan.

The Elixir portfolio

Photographs for design inspiration