Deciding to build a granny flat is simple, designing and building the extension can be a lot harder. You'll have a lot of questions to answer along the way. Can you use a general contractor or is is better to use one who has built a lot of granny flats before? Is a template design better than a customised one? Should you let the person who'll live in the flat have a say in what it looks like? Luckily, I'm here to help. My name is Maria. We moved my Mum into a purpose-built granny flat last year, so I've had to answer all these questions and more. I thought it'd be useful for other people to see how we managed the process, so here we are — get reading!
3 Restaurant Fitout Tips to Help You Reduce Noise
For customers dining at a restaurant, the atmosphere inside is almost as important as the food being served. That's why it's important to keep unwanted noise levels to a minimum. Every restaurant can be loud sometimes, but too much noise quickly ruins the experience, leading to poor reviews and difficulties retaining customers. In fact, unwanted noise can even make food taste worse, making noise control even more important for restaurants.
So, if you're currently planning a restaurant redesign, it's important to keep noise reduction in mind. Here are three ambience-improving ideas to talk about with your hospitality fitout design team.
1. Keep Tables Separate
The first thing to think about is your new floor plan. If you want to increase profits at your restaurant, your first thought may be to design your floor plan to pack in as many tables as possible. That way, you can fit in more customers. However, when tables are packed closely together, the noise of regular conversation quickly becomes a din that will put customers off ever stepping foot in your restaurant again. Instead, it's best to have a reasonable degree of separation between all your tables. Empty space between tables is always a big help with noise, but partitions are even better since they block out some of sound. You can use specially made partitions or divide up spaces with sculptures and plants.
2. Include More Booth Seating
Booth seating can make your restaurant more attractive to customers in multiple ways. In fact, you've probably noticed that most patrons will select a booth when given the choice. For one, most customers prefer the privacy of a booth over the open feeling of a regular table. But that's not the only benefit; booths also reduce noise. The raised backs of booth seating act as a partitioning divider to separate tables. On top of that, the soft cushioning absorbs noise and reduces echoing, drastically reducing noise levels. So, where possible, try to include as much booth seating as you can in your new restaurant design.
3. Add Plants to Your Restaurant
Another feature which can benefit your restaurant in a multitude of ways is plant life. The addition of plants in commercial fitouts is often referred to as biophilic design. One reason it's so popular is that plants have a natural ability to absorb sound. There are so many ways to include foliage in your design, from potted plants to living walls to planters suspended from the ceiling. All this greenery will not only reduce noise levels in your restaurant but also create a bright, natural and attractive atmosphere.