Acoustic panels that don't look acoustic

The brief everyone gets now

"Make it quiet, but make it look like a hotel lounge, not a podcast booth."

This brief — verbatim — landed in three of our partner studios last month. Open-plan offices, F&B venues and premium retail are all chasing NRC ≥ 0.75 without visible foam waffle.

Three families worth knowing

1. Slatted timber on PET backing. Warm, tactile, and absorbs across the speech band. Specify rift-cut oak with a 14mm slat / 8mm gap rhythm for the cleanest read.

2. Moulded PET felt. Comes in 80+ colours, recyclable, CNC-cuttable. Great for sculptural ceilings and back-lit reception walls.

3. Micro-perforated stone and metal. 0.5mm holes at 2mm pitch — invisible at 1m, devastating on reverb. Premium price, premium result.

A spec checklist

• Always pair with a fibre backing (mineral wool or recycled PET).
• Confirm fire rating for the assembly, not just the face material.
• Get install drawings from the supplier — site teams will improvise otherwise.