26 Sep

Google and Skype Choose Fabric

Hush, please be quiet, noise in modern open plan offices is a common problem. But textile materials create new spatial concepts and provide us with happy quiet moments. As the strength lies in the peace.

Regularly we hear clacking of heeled shoes of our colleagues on the wooden floor, paper bags rustling, if an employee decides to have a snack. The chef next door talks on phone with a customer, two interns discuss a project. It is often loud in open offices, nevertheless, they are in trend now. More and more companies, including Google and Skype, make one large common office of many small workspaces. In such a way everyone is quickly reached and seen, and of course, heard. This relaxed atmosphere promotes productivity, but not always ensures the peace, which is necessary for many employees. Therefore, the time of textiles in offices has finally come again, the chances for curtains and other accessories are great because they serve with their noise-resistant properties as room dividers and help to make accents in the office space.

Revival of the curtains as room dividers

Those who enter the Google office in Zurich for the first time hardly believe their eyes. Employees are lounging in hammocks; colorful designer sofas made in the corporate colours create a living room atmosphere. The Internet giant has the interior of coziness, flamboyant designs and openness. The concept of noise-repellent materials has long been implemented: the good old curtains are back and create new forms of spatial division.

They create egg-shaped retreats for meetings right in the bullpen. The light-looking fabrics blend perfectly into the open concept. Thanks to seemingly countless colour combinations, prints and textures they even are able to set design accents in a technically correct way. Even the Skype office in Stockholm relies on this kind of space division. There, the huge curtains separate conference rooms from the rest of the workplace and provide privacy.

Fabric upholstery for a good rest at home

However, not only in office, but also at home we are often exposed to the noise from outside. Particularly in sound-transparent apartments each sound penetrates from a neighboring apartment in your own four walls. With textile materials you can make your cozy home the heaven of tranquility.

Thus walls with wallpaper or fabric covers provide a noise reduction. With the help of them you can not only beautify your walls, but also ensure a better acoustics. For example, thrust plates of the desired size can be covered with fabric and be bolted. To create an additional noise protection, it is recommended to underpin textile materials with fleece or felt. Large curtains on windows not only serve as a screen, but also reduce the noise from outside.

The noise-resistant properties of textiles should therefore not be underestimated. Even big companies use this positive effect of materials more and more. Long curtains were banished from the sober, minimalist offices - but now it's time to experience their revival again.

Author: S.M.

The Google office in Zurich makes an accent on the new interior design: the curtains serve as a noise barrier and separate the meeting rooms from the large working space, © Google

The white curtains in the Skype office in Stockholm are also used to separate the work spaces and create a special atmosphere, © Jason Strong & Sara Arnald for pS

Based on the materials of http://www.i-teria.com