Sensing Space: Designing for the five Senses (hearing)

Part 1

Designing with Sound: Acoustic Experience in Interiors

Sound is an essential part of design, one that’s often felt before it’s noticed.

When designing atmosphere, we tend to focus on what can be seen, touched, or arranged.

But space is not only visual-it is auditory. Every material, volume, and surface carries its own sound signature. Designing an interior space means designing how sound travels, how it lingers, how it fades, and how it fills a room-or doesn’t.

Whether it’s the charged roar of a stadium, the intimate hush of a bedroom, or the gentle echo of footsteps in a gallery, each space carries its own acoustic identity. And this identity isn’t accidental; it’s shaped. Carefully and intentionally.

An auditorium is one of the purest examples of how sound defines space.

Unlike most interiors, where sound is often something to soften or control, auditoriums are built to amplify and direct it. Every design decision-from the shape of the ceiling to the slope of the seating-is made with acoustics in mind. The goal isn’t just to make sure sound travels, but to make sure it travels clearly, evenly, and with intention.

The walls are rarely flat-they're angled, curved, or panelled to diffuse echoes and prevent dead spots. The ceilings often have baffles or clouds that help distribute sound waves, so that a whisper on stage can be heard in the very back row without distortion.

Materials matter deeply. Hard surfaces like wood can reflect sound warmly, while acoustic panels or fabric treatments absorb excess noise to prevent reverberation from overwhelming clarity. Even the seats themselves are designed to absorb a similar amount of sound, whether they’re occupied or not, ensuring consistent acoustics.

It’s not just about loudness-it’s about detail. A well-designed auditorium lets you hear the rise and fall of a voice, the breath between lines, the swell of music, the sharp strike of a drum. It creates an atmosphere where sound is not just heard, but felt.

Now think of a home. Here, sound must soothe. It must respect boundaries. Insulated windows, padded walls, soft curtains-these don’t just serve comfort, they serve quiet. Because in a domestic space, privacy matters. Rest matters. Sound shouldn’t wander too far.

In sacred or meditative environments—temples, retreats, sanctuaries—sound becomes an invisible guide. Chimes, flowing water, hushed tones. The silence is not emptiness; it’s presence. In these places, people seek sound that heals, not distracts.

Sound can heighten excitement, deepen intimacy, or quiet the mind. As designers, we must ask ourselves:

• What sounds will this space invite?

• Which ones will it protect against?

• How will its surfaces speak?

• Where will sound be amplified, and where will it be softened?

  
  

To design an interior is to choreograph a sensory experience, and sound is a key dancer in that ensemble. A space with poor acoustics can feel hollow, disorienting, and even uncomfortable. A well-designed acoustic environment, on the other hand, can transform a space into something alive.

Sound design is interior design. It lives in the materials, in the ceilings, in the curves and hollows of walls. It travels through air, and it lingers in memory.

To truly design a space, we must listen-before, during, and after we build.

Let me know how you notice sound in a space.