Quick answer: Office pantries are loud because of hard counters, tiles, coffee machines and people chatting. In open offices that noise travels to nearby desks. Ceiling panels over the pantry and wall panels on its hard walls soak up much of it. Add a screen or plants between the pantry and desks, and keep the loudest machines away from work areas.

Key takeaways

  • Hard surfaces plus chatter make pantries loud.
  • Ceiling and wall panels over the pantry help most.
  • A screen between pantry and desks helps too.

Why pantries are noisy

Pantries have tiles, stone counters and glass splashbacks. Add a coffee grinder, a microwave and a group of people chatting. All that sound bounces off one hard floor and ceiling.

Where panels go

Start with the ceiling above the pantry, then the walls around it. In open-ceiling offices, hang clouds over the pantry. The ceiling is usually the biggest bare surface, so it does the most work. See reduce echo in an office.

Not sure what your room needs? Send us a photo on WhatsApp or request a free quote. We'll tell you how many panels, where they go and the price. See our office acoustic panels and recent projects.

Quiet the pantry infographic

Stop noise reaching desks

A tall shelf, a screen or a glass partition with panels on the desk side helps. Plants alone will not stop it. The goal is to break the straight line from the pantry to the nearest desks.

Pantry noise: cause and fix diagram

Machines

Put the coffee machine and dishwasher on the far side, away from desks. Rubber feet and mats help with clatter. These cheap changes cut noise at the source.

Cost

A small pantry usually needs 6 to 10 panels. At S$185 each supplied and installed, that is S$1,110 to S$1,850. Standard fixings are included. See office acoustic treatment cost.

Hygiene

Keep panels away from sinks and coffee machine steam. Fabric does not like water, steam or grease. The panels can be vacuumed with the rest of the office.

Open-plan layout tip

Put quiet zones far from the pantry and meeting rooms. Put printers and the pantry together in a "busy" zone. Then treat that busy zone first.

Quick test

Stand at the nearest desk while someone uses the coffee grinder. Record it on your phone before and after the panels go up. Compare the two clips from the same spot.

What we see on real jobs

In open offices, pantry noise travels straight to the nearest desks. Treating the pantry ceiling first cuts the noise at its busiest spot.

Get a straight answer for your room

Send a photo of the meeting room or floor on WhatsApp (+65 8930 1905), with the rough size. We'll tell you how many panels, where they go and the price, and we can prepare documents for your building management.

WhatsApp us a photo · Request a free quote · See prices

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