Kitchens deal with a lot from the preparation of food to cooking and cleaning, a lot goes on within a kitchen. An effective kitchen ideally consists of smooth, non-absorbent, heat-safe, stain-free surfaces. Unfortunately, those qualities are not exactly conducive to an echo-free space. Let’s take a look at a few ways to easily reduce echo in the kitchen area!
1. Rugs and Floor Coverings
Common kitchen flooring materials like wood, tile, linoleum, and stone are great for their ease of cleaning and resistance to staining.
However, they also provide a reflective surface for sound waves to bounce off of like crazy. To reduce echoing in a kitchen, you simply have to reduce the number of surfaces sound waves have to reflect off of.
Placing a floor runner in the area, a cushioning mat by the sink or stove, or a thicker rug in the dining area are all good ways to help reduce sound-reflective surfaces and absorb sounds.
They also add a fantastic element of style to a home. Be sure to choose easily washable options for floor coverings that will be used in the kitchen, as accidents do happen.
2. Break Up the Space
In addition to reflective surfaces, unobstructed spaces are also conducive to echoes. Breaking up larger spaces helps decrease the area sound has to bounce around. This can be done with things like room dividers, appliances, or tasteful decor accents like leafy indoor plants.
For example, growing an indoor herb garden in the kitchen area is not only great for cooking, it also adds dimension to the space and fills in some of those areas and corners sound waves like to bounce off of.
A well-placed taller indoor plant can also have the effect of brightening a room by adding color— not to mention they can help keep the air in your home clean.
3. Furniture
Furniture could also fit the same criteria as breaking up large spaces, but with the added element of materials. Choose materials that are less reflective or more absorbent. Cushioned kitchen or dining chairs can help limit echoes around the kitchen area.
However, it does not make sense for all kitchen-adjacent furniture to be cushioned— for instance, a dining table or china hutch. For these things, try choosing materials that do not reflect sound as strongly but are still strong and effective for their subject, such as wood instead of metal.
4. Curtains
Curtains do not just provide privacy and add to aesthetics. They are also effective in catching sound waves by covering flat wall space. Even in kitchens equipped with window blinds, curtains may be something to consider if sound reflection is a big problem.
While any type of fabric will be effective in limiting sound waves, thermal curtains— curtains that have a thick lining— have the added benefit of reducing the warmth or coolness that escapes via the window while simultaneously muffling unwanted sounds.
5. Mind the Surrounding Rooms
Especially in houses with more open floor plans where rooms like dining or living areas are undivided from the kitchen area, the rooms surrounding the kitchen can have just as big an effect on echoing as the kitchen itself.
Having rooms with an abundance of soft, sound-absorbing surfaces nearby is a great way to limit the area echoes have to bounce around. You can take advantage of more materials in these rooms than you could in the kitchen.
Carpeting is illogical in a kitchen, but it works just fine in a living or family area. Full-length, finer curtains might not be practical for a kitchen, but you can absolutely get away with it in a living or dining room.
Couches, chairs, and ottomans are also softer, sound-reducing pieces of furniture that would not find their home in a kitchen but would most certainly be welcome in rooms nearby.
6. Wall Hangings
Like curtains, wall hangings reduce reflective surfaces and add to the atmosphere of a room. With wall hangings, you can further curate your particular style by accentuating or adding to various elements of a room.
For kitchen areas, wall hangings like calendars, cork boards, and tapestries are great options for both decorating and decreasing echoes.
If you feel that even with all the added “sound cushioning” your space is still too echoey for your liking, there are additional decorations that can be put to use.
Acoustic panels designed to specifically be used as decoration in living areas can be found at various sources on the internet and in some home decor shops.
Once more, materials matter. Aim for materials like canvas or softer fabrics, in addition to hard picture frames and various items.
7. Soft Accessories
Of course, we can’t forget everyone’s favorite part of home decor— the soft or squishy ones! Cushions, blankets, table runners, and tablecloths are where the majority of your echo reduction is likely to come from.
While blankets may need to be limited to food-free spaces in the home, cushions are commonly seen at kitchen and dining tables.
Though tablecloths may be more of an event-only decoration in some houses, table runners are a fun and easy way to keep decorations current to the season and provide a little extra sound padding to the area.
8. Decorative Towels
Finally, kitchen towels are both functional and fashionable! Embroidered, printed, or uniquely-woven tea or kitchen towels can add a pop of color to any kitchen, in addition to being useful in cleaning and serving food.
Many stores and outlets sell seasonally-themed kitchen towels in addition to adorably decorated kitchen towels for everyday use.
Like curtains and wall hangings, towels blunt the echoes on smooth kitchen surfaces but have the added benefit of being over more than just windows and walls.
Lots of people choose to hang their kitchen towels in easy-to-reach places where they will get a lot of use, such as the oven, sink, or counter. Opt to get a few attractive kitchen towels for a functional and fashionable way to further reduce echoing in the kitchen.
