“When interior design is doing the best job we are not really aware of it,” says Jennifer Jordan, from Jennifer Jordan Interior Design. While effective design operates in the background, poor design constantly draws attention to itself. Particularly when it comes to managing noise.
Acoustic design is the art of balancing the desired aesthetic while also managing sound, so it doesn’t prevent people from having a good time.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Jennifer Jordan Interior Design has been a major player in Edmonton for two decades. From snagging the 2025 MASI Design Restaurant Bronze Award for its work with Nero (one of Edify’s Best New Restaurants ‘26) to designing Canada’s first Hell’s Kitchen restaurant, Jordan knows the ins-and-outs of her craft.
“There’s a lot of theatre in design,” says Jordan. While the ultimate goal of design is to deepen the immersive experience, acoustically-driven decisions add another layer of beauty to admire.
There are three main strategies that Jordan keeps in mind before tackling the art of noise reduction. You need to understand how to absorb it, block it and cover it — the ABCs of acoustic strategy. Use these to improve the sound of your home.
To keep it simple: absorbing sound is the process of getting rid of echo and loud noises by using a soft material. Soft materials can be upholstery furniture pieces, acoustic panels, rugs (or carpeting) or ceiling baffles.
Jordan’s work on Hell’s Kitchen is all about balancing the open kitchen concept with the general ambiance of a fine-dining restaurant. There are plenty of hard surfaces in the main dining space but thanks to the custom felt walls, guests can still feel as if they are part of the kitchen without the bang and clang of pots and pans disrupting conversations.
Tapestries and curtains have been a visual statement for quite some time but they are also wonderful for absorbing sound waves.
For those of you unfamiliar with flanking paths, they are indirect routes that allow sound to travel through — openings like gaps in construction, electrical outlets or doors. “If there is any sort of opening, the noise will find a way,” says Jordan. The solution is always to create a physical barrier to prevent sound from coming in — so walls, partitions or screens.
Before it was acquired by Stingray, Jordan worked on the noise insulation for Newcap Radio at West Edmonton Mall. The biggest issue with the space: it was located wall-to-wall with the Wild West Shooting Centre. Hearing gunshots as the backdrop of a morning segment would not have been ideal. The solution was to add a concrete wall to block the intense racket — not a complete sound barrier but it was the next best thing in this extreme scenario.
If you can’t add another layer of drywall, use weatherstripping on your doors and seal gaps in windows to stop sound leakage. Side note: Barn doors are definitely a style choice, but they do little to block sound!
Sound masking, also known as noise masking, does not eliminate sound but blends it on a psychological level. Covering is the art of using background music (or any kind of sound) to make the ambiance seem quieter. It also makes having a conversation with your date easier.
While working on Nero, Jordan noticed that in historic, well-established buildings there’s already some built-in elements that help with noise control. “The brick being porous behaves in a more complementary way than polished marble would (even if there is some in the space as well), which encourages the use of masking for the extra noise reduction,” says Jordan. Alternatively, using water or soft background music acheives the same effect.
Covering has become more popular at night — especially the use of white-noise machines — to prevent sudden noises from disrupting your sleep. “Plus listening to music in the background … helps cognitive health,” says Jordan, so it wouldn’t hurt to have a relaxing playlist on standby around your home.
