Wakufuru Brings Sound Absorption to Wood Tables and Benches

Mealtimes can get loud, especially if you have boisterous children or a larger family, which is why restaurants tend to have deafening tones of chatter and music. Johan Kauppi created a way to bring sound absorption to the table without anyone even knowing it in a collection for Glimakra of Sweden. Wakufuru consists of solid wood tables and benches that disguise sound absorbers underneath their surfaces to help minimize noise in the home or in public spaces.

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Three layers of sound absorbing materials underneath the wooden surfaces helps it to be absorbed instead of being amplified, almost like a reversed loudspeaker.

From Kauppi:

Wood as a material, always contributes with a natural warmth in interiors. I wanted to find out if solid wood furniture could also reflect some of the sound atmosphere that is experienced in forests.

Using advanced CNC-milling, the corner design works for each piece, all made from ash, so that they can all be constructed in the same way, no matter the size. Gilmakras’ history of wood production and Kauppi’s design ideas resulted in minimalist solutions for interiors that need the sound dialed down a notch.

Photos by Johan Kauppi except where noted.

Source: design-milk