Project Challenge

This 240㎡ boutique sourdough bakery and specialty cafe is located in central Oslo, Norway. Designed with exposed ceiling joists, raw concrete floors and white tile walls, it has the clean Nordic industrial aesthetic locals love — but hard reflective surfaces create severe reverberation during weekend peaks. Oven fans, espresso machines, dishwashers and customer conversation build quickly, making order calls hard to hear and table conversation strained. The owner wanted an acoustic solution that preserved the minimalist bakery identity, not bulky generic acoustic treatment.

Our Solution

Cement-bonded wood wool acoustic ceiling panels were installed across the main dining area and counter zone, with an NRC rating of 0.80–0.90. The natural textured fibre-cement finish requires no extra paint, blending seamlessly with the exposed joist interior while absorbing scattered reflected sound across the high-ceilinged space. Accent walls behind banquette seating use E0-grade formaldehyde-free polyester fiber acoustic panels in warm oat tones, NRC 0.85–0.95, CNC cut to match the bakery’s built-in shelf details.

All panels carry EN 13501 Class A fire certification, meeting EU food service venue safety requirements. Installation was completed during off-hours over 7 days with zero disruption to trading.

Project Results

Peak-hour ambient noise across the cafe dropped by an estimated 35%. Customers can hold conversations at normal volume even at full capacity, and average dwell time increased by 23%. The textured wood wool ceiling reinforces the bakery’s minimalist Nordic identity, with most patrons unaware it is functional acoustic treatment.