Improving Your Apartment’s Acoustic Comfort

Having your voice carry in a room is great … if you’re a singer and you’re in a performance space or studio. However, this is not generally appreciated in rental apartments, where you have neighbours on the other side of your walls.

Unfortunately, developers often overlook acoustic comfort. So, it’s not really known until people move into the building – that’s when they start realizing how much you can, in fact, hear from other units.

There’s not a lot that can be done in terms of construction to improve the acoustic comfort of your soundproof apartment , since you rent it rather can own it. That said, all is not lost; you can create a comfortable space for you and your neighbours.

While the best ways to soundproof and improve acoustic comfort in a space is to adhere sound-absorbing materials to the shared walls, the fact that you do not own your apartment means you shouldn’t be making big permanent or semi-permanent changes to your place.

So, how can you get relief quickly, without taking drastic (expensive) measures? Here are some ideas:

Large-scale wall art

Instead of installing purpose-built soundproofing panels, you can hang a large-scale painting or framed print on the shared wall. It adds an additional barrier for sound to pass through. You can also hang a wall tapestry to get the same effect.

Living room with large sofa

Large furnishings

Place large pieces of furniture against any shared walls in your rental apartment. This can include bookshelves (fully stocked with books), china cabinets and hutches.

Try to keep TVs and stereos away from the shared walls, so you’re not making the problem worse.

Orange armchair next to table

Rugs and curtains

Noise also travels between floors through the ceiling/floor. If your apartment doesn’t have wall-to-wall carpeting, make sure you use area rugs and floor mats to absorb sound.

You can also hang thick, heavy curtains in front of windows to try to keep outside sounds from disturbing you and your family or roommates.

Light brown leather armchairs

If you’re thinking of moving, check out Gottarent.com to browse available apartments for rent in your community!