One of the unfortunate side effects of living in a big city is often the bustling sounds of people going about their business and the loud sounds of cars zooming past. For people who can not handle loud noises, here are some tips to help you block out and reduce noise. These tips are great for both homes and offices. 

READ ALSO: How To Make Your Office a More Productive Environment 

1. Sound Friendly Furniture

This one is a no brainer. Make sure that the furniture you buy for your home or office absorbs sound well. This usually means buying high backed couches and lounge chairs. These types of furniture take up a lot of space in open floor plan rooms and tend to have an impact on the acoustics of a room. Move your furniture around to find the best fit that gives the least amount of noise. For offices, wall partitions and filing cabinets also contribute to reducing the level of noise. In the same way that the saying goes “empty barrels make the most noise” so do empty rooms. 

2. Plants, Lots Of Them

Just like furniture, plants tend to absorb some of the sounds of an otherwise large empty room. For offices in particular, a wall of plants can act as a partition between offices and cancel out sounds going from one room to another. Plants on their own give a great aesthetic and are always advisable for improving the look of a space. Large plants with big sprawling leaves are especially good at reducing the loudness of sounds. 

3. Insulate The Floors

In a situation where the noise bothering you is coming from a floor below or a downstairs neighbour or office, the best thing you can do is to insulate the floor. This simply means adding an additional layer to your floor to reduce the transfer of sounds. You can insulate the floor by adding a new floor panel to your room or office or you can simply throw down a new rug or thick carpet. The best material for insulating your floors is Cork but you can use other options like fibreglass or acoustically rated floor tiles.  

4. Soundproof Windows 

Windows are another obvious source of noise for people who live in busy places. The best way to manage noise coming from outside is the insulate your windows. This can be done by installing new double-paned windows to your home. Unfortunately, this can be a pretty expensive solution so you can save on money by simply sealing any spaces or cracks around your windows and also hanging thick noise cancelling curtains over your windows. 

5. Get Creative With Your Layout 

The last thing you can do to block out and reduce noise at your office or home is to rearrange your space. Get creative with your layout. For your home, move your bed away from the window. Maybe place your bed in the centre of your room instead. If you’re still building your house, consider positioning the windows away from any busy streets. For an office space, you can be creative with the positioning of cubicles and partitions to reduce the spread of noise.