The fact is the world around us is noisy. Whether you live in a lane with fewer residents or on a busy street, you are always surrounded by different noises. You may be dealing with exterior sounds like traffic or interior noise from loud neighbors or noisy kids.
Accepting these noises as a part of your everyday life can be harmful to your health, causing sleep problems and increased stress levels. Soundproofing your home means improving your quality of life by restricting all sorts of noises affecting your health. When sound levels are reduced, you can get maximum relaxation at home that you are indeed entitled to.
You will find many soundproofing methods, but isn’t it great to have a soundproofing technique that offers other benefits? Here we are discussing some creative ideas that help you reduce the acoustic levels and add elegance to your house. For instance, a stylish soundproof door can help prevent noises while also adding an elegant look to your interior.
Whether constructing a new house or renovating an existing one, you must invest in these decor ideas to achieve the best soundproofing and interior.
Before identifying these ideas, let’s recall the importance of soundproofing:
Why is Soundproofing Necessary?
1. Health and Safety
As mentioned earlier, frequent or intense noises can disturb your physical and mental health. Prolonged exposure to sound results in several health conditions like high blood pressure, heart diseases, and stroke. Thus, if you care about yourself and your family, soundproofing would be a wise decision and worth every buck.
2. Privacy
No one wants their private conversations or family talks leaking outside. Also, we hate it when outside noises disturb our privacy, especially when watching TV or reading books. And this happens when your house is not soundproof. Privacy is one of the main reasons to soundproof a house. Soundproofing prevents private talks from leaking outside as well as airborne noises entering the house. The right soundproofing technique like soundproof foam for walls helps you spend more quality and peaceful time with your family at home, by restricting disturbing noises.
3. Effective Communication
Good communication is hardly possible in a residential place where sound levels reach about 50-60 decibels. Improper communication can lead to misunderstanding and affect family bonds. Thus, soundproofing a home is an essential aspect to maintain seamless communications between family members.
4. Enhanced Quality of Life
Regular exposure to sound results in a declined ability to learn, recall, read, understand, sleep, and other vital human activities. Having a soundproof house avoids these issues and increases the quality of life.
Now that you know the reasons to soundproof your house, the next step is to check out ideas to achieve the best soundproofing and a decorated interior.
Related: 10 Ways to Soundproof a Noisy Apartment
10 Best Ideas to Soundproof Your House
1. Soundproofing Paint
You tend to be very cautious when choosing the right paint color for your house. But did you ever think about choosing soundproofing paint? Yes, you can select a soundproof paint for your home to reduce the acoustic levels effectively. Walls painted with this paint prevent reverberating sounds by absorbing them. Soundproofing paint may be a bit expensive, but it is worth investing in for long term soundproof walls. If you want a more decorative and colorful soundproofing idea then a soundproof foam panel would be the best.
2. Quality Curtains
Curtains increase the aesthetic appeal of your house and serve as a visual and sound barrier against nosy neighbors. They absorb and reduce outside sounds giving a sense of relaxation in the house. Also, curtains can help absorb ambient noise floating around in the house.
You can buy thick, stylish, and soundproof curtains for doors and windows, which will help you get a double benefit of home decor and soundproofing.
3. Soundproof Door
The door plays an essential role in protecting you from several outside elements, including noises. If you are renovating or constructing your house, consider installing doors made of soundproof materials. For example, solid core doors are quite effective at preventing airborne noises from traveling through the surface into the next room. There are many acoustic doors available in different styles and materials.
4. Wall Hangings
The majority of sounds reflect from walls. Hence, you must ensure your walls are soundproof. Wall hangings are best at reducing noise from outside and are available in a wide range. Together with preventing sounds, they also serve as the best interior decor items for the home. You can also hang sound-absorbing art crafts and paintings to turn usual walls into soundproofed walls.
5. Soundproofing Wallpaper
Apart from wall hangings, wallpaper can be used to soundproof your home. You can use wallpaper specially designed to absorb noise and soundproofing your walls. Adding beautiful, attractive soundproof wallpaper is also the best home decor idea you can consider.
6. Lots of Fluffy Pillows
This is yet another multi-beneficial idea you can consider for soundproofing your house. You can use a lot of pillows in the living room or bedroom to reduce inside and outside noise. For more effectiveness, try to use as many fluffy and bigger pillows as you can. Fluffy and beautifully designed pillows increase the style quotient of your house, especially when arranged decoratively.
7. Thick Carpet
Besides making your floor warmer and stylish, carpet serves as an excellent sound-absorbing element in your house. Carpets can absorb impact noise, such as objects falling onto the floor or heavy footsteps. They are best at absorbing echo and reverberation by trapping the sound waves in their fibers. Make sure you select the appropriate thickness and size of the carpet. It should cover the entire floor and offer maximum sound prevention.
8. Thick Rugs
Rugs are an ideal alternative to carpets if you want a less permanent solution. Sound can reverberate and echo on wooden floors and open spaces. Using good quality rugs on wooden floors can reduce noise while also adding a touch of elegance to your house. You can change the rugs with time to keep up with modern styles. For more effective soundproofing, you can add a rug pad underneath rugs or you can also use multiple layers of rugs on the floor.
9. Book Shelf
The more occupied interior space is, the more soundproof your house will be. Adding more furniture can help reduce noise to a great extent. A self with your wide book collection can absorb sound and make your home look more peaceful and gorgeous. You can fill the extra space between the ceiling and floor with a book collection to make the interior area more soundproof.
10. Soundproofing Tiles
As tiles tend to be thick, they serve as an excellent soundproofing element in the house, especially on the ceiling and walls. You can use soundproof ceiling tiles to prevent noise from the upper floors of the building. Make sure to buy tiles with superior acoustic properties for better soundproofing. You can also consider soundproof foam panels as an alternative to tiles. The foam panels work best at absorbing noise and enhancing the speech and sound quality in a room
While many of these ideas are quite cost-effective and easy, some may not be affordable, especially if you rent a house. You can’t paint or add permanent furniture to a rented house. Thus, it is better to go for less expensive options. However, if you are building a new home, then every idea on the list is worth your money. You can choose the best soundproof furniture, carpets, arts, and a soundproof door for your home to make it a better place to relax.
