Create a Home Performance Space That Hits All the Right Notes
Whether or not you’re competing in the Air Guitar World Championships, you can carve out room for putting on a show
Space for Sound
Good acoustics are a must for a performance space, whether you plan to use it to practice with your band or to recite a Shakespearean monologue. (Air guitar enthusiasts may not need quality sound design for their pretend instruments, but the music they’re strumming along to probably will.) When considering the space itself, a room with some physical volume, like this Washington studio, generally works best, so an attic, garage or spare bedroom with vaulted ceilings may be a smarter pick than a squat basement. When walls are more traditionally parallel and ceilings are low, sound can bounce back and forth and create an undesirable echo, but since curvier or more voluminous room shapes and vaulted ceilings can also produce reverberation, it can be a fine line to navigate.
“Sound tends to be an art, where you can’t just come up with an algorithm and say this is what you’re going to do,” says Robert Tuthill of Tuthill Architecture. Instead, achieving the right acoustical balance usually requires a mix of built-in and added elements. Tuthill, for instance, who says his firm typically gets client requests for dedicated music or entertainment spaces about once a year, uses structural features like Acoustiblok soundproof lining in a music room’s ceiling to keep sounds from bothering neighbors or family members in other parts of the house, and decorative features like heavy curtains and fabric-covered furniture to absorb sound.
To take it step further, external measures, like injecting a concrete-block home with foam around the designated room to keep the sound from transmitting can also help. Using acoustical panels that keep speaker or instrument sounds from bouncing off walls and sounding muddy is another option, as is using thick windows and impact doors. Depending on how high-tech you want to go and how much you’re willing to invest in the project, it may be worth consulting with an acoustical professional.
Find an acoustical designer near you
Good acoustics are a must for a performance space, whether you plan to use it to practice with your band or to recite a Shakespearean monologue. (Air guitar enthusiasts may not need quality sound design for their pretend instruments, but the music they’re strumming along to probably will.) When considering the space itself, a room with some physical volume, like this Washington studio, generally works best, so an attic, garage or spare bedroom with vaulted ceilings may be a smarter pick than a squat basement. When walls are more traditionally parallel and ceilings are low, sound can bounce back and forth and create an undesirable echo, but since curvier or more voluminous room shapes and vaulted ceilings can also produce reverberation, it can be a fine line to navigate.
“Sound tends to be an art, where you can’t just come up with an algorithm and say this is what you’re going to do,” says Robert Tuthill of Tuthill Architecture. Instead, achieving the right acoustical balance usually requires a mix of built-in and added elements. Tuthill, for instance, who says his firm typically gets client requests for dedicated music or entertainment spaces about once a year, uses structural features like Acoustiblok soundproof lining in a music room’s ceiling to keep sounds from bothering neighbors or family members in other parts of the house, and decorative features like heavy curtains and fabric-covered furniture to absorb sound.
To take it step further, external measures, like injecting a concrete-block home with foam around the designated room to keep the sound from transmitting can also help. Using acoustical panels that keep speaker or instrument sounds from bouncing off walls and sounding muddy is another option, as is using thick windows and impact doors. Depending on how high-tech you want to go and how much you’re willing to invest in the project, it may be worth consulting with an acoustical professional.
Find an acoustical designer near you
Spotlight on Lighting
A combination of lighting styles can keep a creative space flexible enough to go from showtime to relaxation time.
“[It’s a good idea to] ‘paint scenes’ with your dimmer controls so that if you’re hanging out, it’s one thing — if you’re playing music, it’s another,” Tuthill says.
To create a laid-back, cozy vibe, Tuthill suggests leaning toward warmer lighting instead of products like LED bulbs that can come off as bluish. If you want the full theatrical effect, ceiling-mounted spotlights, like the ones shown in the image below, might be a fun addition.
A combination of lighting styles can keep a creative space flexible enough to go from showtime to relaxation time.
“[It’s a good idea to] ‘paint scenes’ with your dimmer controls so that if you’re hanging out, it’s one thing — if you’re playing music, it’s another,” Tuthill says.
To create a laid-back, cozy vibe, Tuthill suggests leaning toward warmer lighting instead of products like LED bulbs that can come off as bluish. If you want the full theatrical effect, ceiling-mounted spotlights, like the ones shown in the image below, might be a fun addition.
Accommodating an Audience
This custom Philadelphia room was designed to serve as both the family’s home theater and a space where the family band could rehearse and perform together. Home media design firm Media Rooms addressed those wishes with the aforementioned spotlights, as well as with acoustical wall panels, a backdrop curtain and a 14-inch-high stage that conveniently masks an unsightly drainpipe.
While Rob Dzedzy, president of Media Rooms, says his firm typically uses more traditional (but comfy) reclining movie theater-style seats in media rooms, casters are sometimes added so that seating can be easily reconfigured for live performances or for just casual hanging out.
This custom Philadelphia room was designed to serve as both the family’s home theater and a space where the family band could rehearse and perform together. Home media design firm Media Rooms addressed those wishes with the aforementioned spotlights, as well as with acoustical wall panels, a backdrop curtain and a 14-inch-high stage that conveniently masks an unsightly drainpipe.
While Rob Dzedzy, president of Media Rooms, says his firm typically uses more traditional (but comfy) reclining movie theater-style seats in media rooms, casters are sometimes added so that seating can be easily reconfigured for live performances or for just casual hanging out.
All About Atmosphere
If you’re dreaming about becoming a rock star, or at least feeling like one at home, attitude is key, and that extends to your decor. “The performance is an experience felt with all senses, so each sense should be satisfied,” Air Guitar World Championships’ Keskitalo says.
In the case of this home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the music-loving homeowner was going for a high-end relaxed vibe, which Tuthill and his team delivered via a pub-like theme full of dark wood, moody lighting and exposed brick. In addition to the top-of-the-line audio equipment (the stacked onstage speakers each cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, Tuthill says), the room features a DJ booth, a bar and other playful elements meant to attract guests interested in spontaneous jam sessions.
If you’re dreaming about becoming a rock star, or at least feeling like one at home, attitude is key, and that extends to your decor. “The performance is an experience felt with all senses, so each sense should be satisfied,” Air Guitar World Championships’ Keskitalo says.
In the case of this home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the music-loving homeowner was going for a high-end relaxed vibe, which Tuthill and his team delivered via a pub-like theme full of dark wood, moody lighting and exposed brick. In addition to the top-of-the-line audio equipment (the stacked onstage speakers each cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, Tuthill says), the room features a DJ booth, a bar and other playful elements meant to attract guests interested in spontaneous jam sessions.
“Let your imagination run wild. If you are creating the space yourself, do research. Scan through Houzz and assemble ideas,” Media Rooms’ Dzedzy says. “If you are working with a design professional, tell them you want to think outside of the box and create a unique and fun space.”
Tell us: Where do you entertain an audience — or practice air guitar — at home? Share your spaces and stories in the Comments.
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Sound Advice for Designing a Home Music Studio
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Houzz Tour: Rock Musician’s Tiny House Wakes Up the Neighborhood
Sound Advice for Designing a Home Music Studio
For a lot of music fans, belting out show tunes in the shower is the closest they plan to get to a stage. Then, of course, there are those who are called so strongly to perform that they’ll step into the spotlight in front of thousands without even learning how to actually sing or play.
When competitors take the stage at the Air Guitar World Championships on Aug. 24 in Finland, it’ll be the latter type of performer who earns the annual title. But for those of us who are somewhere in between shower songs and imaginary power chords in front of thousands, finding a comfortable place to express those talents alone or for friends and family doesn’t have to be difficult.
With a little creativity and expert insight, you can shape that space and hone your craft right at home. “The key element is to have enough space for a passionate performance,” Air Guitar World Championships spokeswoman Riikka Annika Keskitalo says. “The space should not draw the attention from a performance.”
Instead, Keskitalo says, the decor, colors, lighting and design should work together to support the artist and create an atmosphere that lets his or her performance shine.
Here are a few tips to help you rock on — air guitar optional.