Project Challenge

This 250㎡ family-run handmade candle workshop with front retail showroom is located in Portland, Oregon. It features an exposed industrial interior with brick walls, concrete floors and open ceiling joists, matching the raw handcrafted brand aesthetic — but hard reflective surfaces create noticeable reverberation during weekend peak hours. Wax melters, ventilation fans, customer chatter and background music build up quickly, making staff product explanations hard to hear. The heavy wax fumes also require acoustic materials that are stain-resistant and easy to wipe clean, without losing the workshop’s rustic craft identity.

Our Solution

We installed cement-bonded wood wool acoustic ceiling panels across the main showroom and workshop production area, with an NRC rating of 0.80–0.90. The dense textured fibre-cement finish resists wax residue and supports regular wipe-down cleaning, while blending seamlessly with the exposed joist and brick interior and absorbing scattered reflected sound across the high-ceilinged space. Behind the checkout counter we added E0-grade formaldehyde-free polyester fiber acoustic panels in warm terracotta tones, NRC 0.85–0.95, CNC cut to match the built-in shelf display layout.

All panels carry ASTM E84 Class A fire certification, meeting US retail and light manufacturing venue safety requirements. Installation was completed after hours over 8 days with zero disruption to daily production and sales.

Project Results

Peak-hour ambient noise across the showroom and workshop dropped by an estimated 36%. Customers can hold conversations at normal volume even at full capacity, and average in-store dwell time increased by 25%. The wood wool ceiling holds up well to regular wax fume exposure and cleaning, with the owner noting it reinforces the brand’s handcrafted industrial aesthetic rather than looking like a functional add-on.