Stylish Noise Reducing Office Furniture Trends for 2024

Noise Reducing Office Furniture OFS Intermix Table

Reduce office noise and boost employee engagement by incorporating noise reducing office furniture at the workplace.

That’s not an easy task because we’re immersed in noise.

During commutes, listening to an audiobook or the radio in your car is pleasant but there’s still noise. Think of the noises that you hear in your backyard. Or how about parking near your office, whether it’s in a downtown Los Angeles high-rise or an office near John Wayne Airport?

When you get into the office and settle at your desk, you won’t endure car horns or neighbors blasting music during backyard barbeques but you’ll have other distractions.

Take a look at this:

Even moderate noise in an office can result in high levels of stress and lower task motivation, according to a 2021 study from Cornell University:

“Workers in the noisy office experienced significantly higher levels of stress, made 40 percent fewer attempts to solve an unsolvable puzzle, and made only half as many ergonomic adjustments to their workstations as did their colleagues in quiet offices.”

Does that mean you have to put up solid walls?

No. Get fashionable.

You can use noise reducing office furniture that help with office acoustics with stylish designs that blend with your existing decor using some of the latest new fabrics.

Channeling and reducing sound helps make the office a desirable place for your employees.

Here’s a fabric that keeps the office looking stylish and absorbs noise: PET Felt.

What is PET Felt?

When you take the materials used to make plastic bottles and reuse it as fabrics — that’s Polyethylene Terephthalate, better known as PET Felt.

PET is especially well-suited for use in design-led acoustics since it’s lightweight, dense, durable, and rigid: all properties that make it ideal for acoustic design. Add to that it achieves a Class O fire rating, as noted by Sound Zero, an acoustic sound design firm in the U.K.

Let’s see a specific use of this recycled material.

Lamps with PET Felt

Reducing or channeling office noise doesn’t mean putting up barriers. Help can come from unexpected places using noise reducing office furniture with the right materials.

Like PET felt on office lamps.

Now, would you have thought an office lamp could absorb sound? Dutch designers did and showcased their products on Dezeen.com.

The lamps hang nicely above tables with a relatively low profile and act almost like an upside-down umbrella. They don’t call attention to themselves but blend in nicely with the surroundings.

Noise Reducing Office Furniture Absorb and Deflect Those Noises

Now let’s look at other ways to reduce noise in the office with accompanying noise reducing office furniture.


Photo: OFS Intermix Conference Table

Set up a welcoming type of conference room. Click on the 2010 Office Inspiration page and browse a modern conference room space. It doesn’t have to be completely enclosed. Imagine a space with one wall as a whiteboard, another wall being a clear architectural wall, and a monitor attached to a wall with a doorless opening to walk in and out of freely.


Photo: Snowsound Clasp Fiber Room Divider

Many lounge seating arrangements are attractive, comfortable, and are designed to keep conversations focused around a table so the noise doesn’t drift away. In fact they make great noise reducing office furniture because of the padding and fabric that they’re usually made from.


Photo: Arcadia Contract TOOtheLOUNGE Seating

Look at the Arcadia TOOtheLOUNGE Seating with practical configurations and colorful appearances to brighten any office environment. It can be an individual “oasis” or set up to accommodate a few people. Make it as closed or as open as you want.


Photo: Nevins Bio Canvas Frame

Green office panels help you control the acoustics while adding a touch of nature to your surroundings. The Nevins Bio Canvas Frame has a lightweight frame and uses bark, moss, and stone panels. No maintenance is required.

Bookcases are another way to absorb and deflect sounds and make great noise reducing office furniture. What do you put on them? Decorative pieces. Plants. Books. Trophies from the office softball team. Get creative.

You’ve got plenty of options to choose from. Look for an eye-catching design like the OFS Hitch Shelf and Storage. It’s a modular system to showcase your personality.


Photo: OFS Rowens Shelf and Credenza

The OFS Rowen Shelf and Credenza has a library feel while the DARRAN Chameleon Storage has a more boxy style.


Photo: DARRAN Chameleon Storage

Don’t forget green plants. Wider leaves deflect sound waves and all types of plants purify the air. Plus, they’re visually refreshing. Good Housekeeping compiled a listing of 15 plants including the spider plant and birds nest fern.

These ideas are relatively easy to implement and we didn’t even include cubicles or architectural walls.  But all these are good options for noice reducing office furniture.

Office Space Planning and Design for Noise Reducing Office Furniture

Absorbing sound waves are one part of overall office planning.

What do you feel your greatest needs are? Ask the team at 2010 Office Furniture and they’ll bring more than 50 years of experience into your space planning and furniture sourcing solutions.

2010 Office’s clients are Southern California’s most distinguished corporations, universities, and small businesses.

Contact them with your potential project needs and when you’re ready to include noise reducing office furniture into your office space.

Read Also: Choosing the Best Office Dividers and Filing Systems
Main Photo: OFS Intermix Conference Table
Resources & Special Thanks to Respective Product Manufacturers: Arcadia Contract, DARRAN, Nevins, OFS and Snowsound

Using Mobile and Nesting Desks for Your Office

Mobile and Nesting Desks Global Terina Table

Tired of getting up from your workstation and carrying your laptop from one place to another? Consider a mobile desk. Need more floor space? Try nesting desks, also referred to as stackable desks.  Expand your productivity and office space and bring a new level of flexibility and efficiency to your office environment with mobile and nesting desks.

Mobile desks meet the ongoing demands for mobility with a minimalist appearance. They come in a variety of styles to fit the office needs of every industry. Nesting desks can be used for multiple functions and both types of surfaces reduce the footprint of tables and traditional desks.

They’re some of the trending items for today’s workplace.

Types of Mobile and Nesting Desks

We know about height-adjustable desks and how they move so the user is comfortable and can set the height to the individual’s proper posture. Mobile desks go a bit further, literally.


Photo: ODS Crossroads Workstations

A durable stand and surface for a laptop make them lightweight and since they’re equipped with casters, they’re easy to roll.

Nesting desks are easy to stack and reduce the space that tables and traditional desks often take up. Plus, some function as whiteboards where you can scrawl ideas, flip the top to show what you’re working on, and use the table again as a flat surface.


Photo: AMQ Concur Training Tables

When you’re done, “nest” them together so they’re out of the way. Transporting is easy since they come with a cart like the durable Via Seating Splash Stackable Table.

What else can you do with mobile and nesting desks?

A lot more.

Uses for Mobile and Nesting Desks

Mobile desks are excellent to use for health professionals and other offices where data needs sharing around a conversation. Instructors can also use them, wheeling a laptop or other screens around a conference or training room.

Nesting desks can be used near workstations where a few colleagues gather to collaborate. They can also be used in lounge or breakout areas in addition to training rooms. If floor space is being optimized in your office, then use nesting desks as needed.

You may have a few desks with the tops stacked vertically and neatly against a wall. During a huddle, you may only need one desk. However, if others come into the area where you’re doing a training session, then the additional desks are available as needed.

Nesting desks with writeable surfaces are excellent for professionals like those in engineering firms or robotics companies where spur-of-the-moment ideas are best expressed with quickly drawn diagrams.

What if you plan to move locations soon and you’re already relocating your equipment?

You wouldn’t want a room filled with tables.

Mobile and nesting desks are useful for startup companies and established companies that are changing facilities since they fit with professional décor and don’t look like temporary solutions.

In a spacious executive office, mobile desks can comfortably accommodate laptops or, if you prefer, a pad of paper and pen to take notes during meetings. Nesting desks can easily be pulled out from against the walls.

The finishes are attractive and fit with various office design schemes.

Breakrooms or lounges are also areas suitable for stackable desks where space is at a premium.

Trending Space-Saving Solutions

Using space wisely is important for offices with hybrid work arrangements where employees may either work remotely or work in the corporate setting. But they’re also important for companies with a large in-house staff.

Bulky-looking file cabinets are another item that can take up floor space. Turn to variations on mobile and nesting desks to solve the issue.


Photo: Global Dufferin Desks

Many desking solutions have file cabinets that easily slide below the work surface and blend in. 2010 Office Furniture carries several models including the Global Princeton Desking Workstation. Every component is modular and freestanding. Configuring it to the size and shape you need is easy.


Photo: Global Princeton Design Workstations

Use attractive bookcases as another storage option. They work well as space dividers in open offices or look nice up against permanent walls. The OFS Hitch Shelf and Storage offers a contemporary look while the Deskmakers Catalina Cubbies is more traditional.


Photo: DeskMakers Catalina Cubbies Storage

How about storage and seating?

Try the AMQ Revi Personal Storage unit. It’s a design suitable for both permanent workstations and touchdown spaces where flexibility is needed. A magnetic removable seat cushion creates additional seating space as well.  They are easily transportable and  adaptable to spaces, much like mobile and nesting desks.


Photo: AMQ Revi Pedestals Storage

For audiovisual needs, look to the Rouillard Coast Media Table, a part of the “secluded” Coast Media selection. Features include a sound-absorbing upholstered wall enclosure with a peninsula table that’s attached and takes up a minimum amount of space.


Photo: Rouillard Coast Media Table

Furnishing Solutions with Mobile and Nesting Desks

Consult with the team at 2010 Office Furniture to handle your space planning needs so you can select the right mobile and nesting desks that will serve your team the best.

2010 Office has a half-century of experience working with globally recognized corporations, universities, and small businesses throughout Los Angeles County, Orange County, and the Inland Empire.

Contact them with your office needs and questions.

Read Also: 6 Types of Spaces Every Office Needs
Main Photo: Global Terina Tables
Resources & Special Thanks to Respective Product Manufacturers: AMQ, DeskMakers, Global, ODS & Rouillard