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© Gordon M. Grant
© Gordon M. Grant
© Gordon M. Grant
© Gordon M. Grant
© Häfele America Co.
© Newell Rubbermaid
© T. Jeffery Clarke
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How to shush an open floor plan
By Anne Marie Chaker of The Wall Street Journal
Open floor plans, the rage in residential architecture for years, have an unintended side effect: a noisy household. Short of a complete remodel, homeowners can try a host of solutions.
In Sag Harbor, N.Y., architect Frank Greenwald's white stucco home overlooking the bay can become raucous — particularly in the summer, when family, grown children and their friends descend.
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How to shush an open floor plan
3 combined rooms present challenge
Greenwald says his open kitchen-dining room-living room required careful consideration.
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How to shush an open floor plan
Formal dining room optional
Greenwald chose white linen floor-to-ceiling curtains that ride on a track between the kitchen and dining rooms. They can close to create a secluded, "formal" atmosphere for diners, he says.
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How to shush an open floor plan
Keeping tunes in check
Greenwald and his wife, Laura, show the curtains between the kitchen and living room. The living area also has a custom stereo system with individually placed speakers, aimed to disperse sound evenly.
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How to shush an open floor plan
Bringing the outdoors in
These sliding glass doors from Häfele America Co. are often found in entrances to gardens or patios. Today, however, they're seeing more use indoors.
- Video: $15,000 kitchen renovation
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How to shush an open floor plan
Popularity increases
In the spring, Newell Rubbermaid Inc. tripled the number of fabrics in its Levolor "Panel Track" line to about 100. The company is forecasting a 30% increase in sales of the product by next spring, driven in large part by consumers seeking new ways to divide space in the home.
Read: Sorry, I can't hear you over my open floor plan
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How to shush an open floor plan
Moving kitchen noise elsewhere
At the Princeton, N.J., home of architect T. Jeffery Clarke, high-capacity exhaust fans for the range hood are mounted remotely in the attic to reduce noise in the kitchen.
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