When we design any room, we will often think hard about the way it’s going to look primarily and the way it is going to function secondly (whether or not that should be the other way around is up for debate). What we tend not to think about though, is the way that a kitchen will sound.
While it might sound strange, this is actually something you should very much consider when you are coming up with your kitchen layout.
Why Sound Matters
The kitchen is one of the very noisiest rooms in your house. This is where you will be walking around on hard surfaces, where you will be clattering crockery and where you will be slamming cupboards. Why does that matter? Well if your kitchen is at all close to any rooms in your house then you’ll find it matters to them – Mums or Dads making breakfast in the morning can very easily wake up the whole house here and so can kids when they wake up early on a Saturday and want to have some cereal with their cartoons.
The same also goes for your neighbors and if you have sensitive neighbors nearby, they’re going to hear it every time you shut a cupboard or wash up. To avoid tensions and to be neighborly, this is something you should consider.
How to Reduce Sound
So with that in mind, what can you do to keep the noise down? Here are some useful tips.
Cork
If you have kitchen cabinets that are noisy when they close, then a simple solution is to take a small slither of cork and to attach it to the inside of the door or to the side of the cabinet itself. The objective here is not to use so much cork that the door will no longer close flush, but instead to use a tiny amount that is just enough to absorb some of the sound.
Soft Close
Another alternative option is to look into soft close kitchen cabinets which are cabinets that close gently and which physically can’t be slammed. This is also a good way to prevent them from getting damaged. If you look for custom kitchen cabinetry then you should be able to get this or another design that will minimize noise.
Washing Up
Another time you’ll make a lot of noise is when washing up. While this is a little harder to reduce the sound of while you’re actually in the sink, what you can do is to use a rubber mat which you can place on the side. At the very least this will allow you to set the plates down after and make less noise at that point.
The Materials
The right materials in your kitchen generally can also make a difference. If you’re very concerned about noise, then perhaps you won’t want to use stone flooring for instance seeing as this will make the room much more prone to echoes and will create more noise of its own in the first place.
The Right Design
Surprisingly, keeping your noise to a minimum can sometimes just be a matter of utilizing the right layout and design for the kitchen. That’s because you can this way keep everything closer together. If you are looking to get a new design for your kitchen, then consider this element and it will also make your life easier as you’ll have to travel around the room less. Similarly, try to avoid very deep cupboards which will make a ton of noise whenever you have to rattle around inside of them.