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.

Thats not an easy task because were 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 its 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 wont endure car horns or neighbors blasting music during backyard barbeques but youll 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.

Heres 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 — thats Polyethylene Terephthalate, better known as PET Felt.

PET is especially well-suited for use in design-led acoustics since its 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.

Lets see a specific use of this recycled material.

Lamps with PET Felt

Reducing or channeling office noise doesnt 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 dont call attention to themselves but blend in nicely with the surroundings.

Noise Reducing Office Furniture Absorb and Deflect Those Noises

Now lets 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 doesnt 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

Dont forget green plants. Wider leaves deflect sound waves and all types of plants purify the air. Plus, theyre 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 didnt 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 theyll bring more than 50 years of experience into your space planning and furniture sourcing solutions.

2010 Offices clients are Southern Californias 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

Five Benefits of Using Plants in the Office

Five Benefits Using Plants

Why We Need Plants in the Office

Concerned about office stale air?  Thinking about creating a positive mood? Check your office greenery and consider the five benefits of using plants in the office!  Studies have shown that indoor plants refresh breathing and rejuvenate the spirit. Read on and discover all the great health contributions of having plants in the office.

Plants Tackle Hazardous Materials

In the 1960s, swamp plants in Florida were shown to clean up the devastating effects of Agent Orange, the chemical that the U.S. infamously used during battle in Vietnam. An environmental researcher working with the military, B.C. Wolverton, Ph.D., made the findings and soon worked with NASA to counter-act indoor air pollution.

Sending astronauts to the moon and into orbit for long periods of time in a space station led NASA to clean up the effects of “off-gassing,” the slow release of chemicals from synthetic materials.

Buying quality furniture is important and near the end of this article are easy-to-follow tips to minimize off-gassing.

Plants Aid Office Wellness

By the 1980s, a new term came into being called “Sick Building Syndrome.” Wolverton released a full study by the end of the decade that focused on “energy-efficient buildings” and how both furniture and computer and electronic equipment would “off-gas hundreds of volatile organics.”

Here’s where plants became important. More research from England showed that buildings with the highest levels of microorganisms had the fewest symptoms. And the opposite scenario was true. People who had more ill symptoms worked in mechanically ventilated buildings containing low levels of microorganisms.

Plants Create an Indoor Ecosystem

How do plants work their magic? Water vapor they emit pulls the air’s contaminants to the root levels. The plant then converts it into food and microorganisms in the potting soil do the cleaning work.

Pollutants from the air are absorbed into the plants while they’re taking in carbon dioxide. That’s then turned into oxygen through photosynthesis. Here’s where the microbes come into play. They’re in the potting soil and they do a lot of the cleaning.

Plants Boost the Spirit

A home or office that has nicely placed greenery has a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. It’s a way to spruce up the look of industrial grade gray. A 2014 study from the University of Exeter that was noted in Science Daily stated that a green office can boost productivity levels by 15%.

Plants also improve the air quality by raising humidity levels which benefits employees who have naturally dry skin and eyes. Dry air can also be troubling for asthma sufferers and spread germs leading to colds and flu.

Plants Absorb Sound

Air contaminants aren’t the only thing that plants absorb. Leaves and stems can capture sound waves and reflect them. That helps boost concentration levels.

In the open office, plants can act as green dividers in many creative ways. Open plan benching workstations could have small plants that are placed every several feet to create personal space.

In spaces with solid walls, plants on shelving can add color.

Recommended Indoor Plants in the Office

The following are some of the recommended plants for a healthy office:

  • Spider plants – known for purifying the air
  • Succulents – easy to care for and work well in small containers
  • Peace Lilly – are good for creating more moisture in the air
  • Aloe – a type of succulent; easy to grow and care for
  • Philodendrons – are popular as hanging plants

Tips to Reduce Off-Gassing From Office Furniture

  • Buy tables and desks that are well crafted.
  • Remove packaging outdoors since that’s where the largest concentration of gas is released.
  • Filter and circulate the air
  • Use plants as noted in this post

Read Also: Designing a Healthy Office
Main Photo: Loftwall Weave Screen
Resources & Special Thanks to Respective Product Manufacturers: Loftwall