Text: Katie Richardson
Photo: Mark Cocksedge

All around the world, architects and designers are using BAUX Acoustic Tiles and Panels in exciting projects for great brands. In a series of newsletters, we aim to introduce you to a selection of projects and the mind masters behind the designs of these acoustic artworks. We simply will call these newsletters Interviews #.

This week we’ve been chatting with Nadia Themistocleous, Interior Designer at Trifle*.

Where did you first discover BAUX

We’ve long been admirers of BAUX and members of our team have independently come across the products through design press and trade shows. We’ve definitely had conversations in the studio where we’ve said to each other, ‘have you seen this amazing acoustic product’ and the reply is ‘yes, I was going to show you!’.

This is still true today but when BAUX first launched, it was such a leader in the acoustic field in terms of design aesthetic and sustainability.

Why did you choose BAUX for your office space

It was more that, in moving to our new space and knowing we needed to improve the acoustics, BAUX was the obvious choice. We’ve used BAUX wood wool panels to such great effect in our client’s projects, it was an opportunity for us to be able to have it too. There is such a choice within the range that it can always work in a space and there’s no question that it’s a highly effective acoustic product too. Aesthetically, it’s extremely versatile with the choice of panels, textures, standard colour range and the bespoke options. It was incredibly exciting to have all the choices for ourselves for a change!

What acoustic problems in this particularly space, do you think BAUX can help overcome

We are very lucky in our space that we have lots of glass which allows natural light to flow around the space really well. However, whilst that is very good for checking colours and our circadian rhythms, it does have a tendency to make sound bounce around some of the rooms quite harshly. In our cellular spaces, our workspace, meeting room and zoom room when we spend a lot of time talking in person or on video calls, we need the sound to reverberate well. It’s a massive bonus that it looks so good too.

As workspace designers – how have you seen acoustic materials evolve

It’s been so amazing to see in the past few years a bit of a hand in hand development of acoustic products in terms of sustainability and design aesthetic. There is so much choice now so you don’t have to compromise on your design scheme in order to deliver a space that works acoustically to your client. In fact, now it can even be a feature.

Where else have you specified BAUX

We have specified BAUX quite a bit for our clients. Largely we take advantage of it in meeting rooms, it can become a feature of the space without being overwhelming. We love the natural texture of the products and the colour options which means that whilst we tend to specify it in meeting rooms mostly, we know we have the ability to use it in much larger spaces too where acoustics need improvement.

What sets BAUX apart from other acoustic brands?

BAUX is highly effective and beautifully designed plus there’s just an uncompromising approach to sustainability that they’ve always had that really sets them apart. Great design should always be functional and beautiful, BAUX is a brilliant example of that.

How important are the sustainability credentials of BAUX to you as designers and to your clients?

In today’s world, it’s hugely important to both our clients and to us. However, there is so much information and so many different types of credentials associated with sustainability, it’s often hard to really understand, especially for our clients who are one step removed. There’s a lot to consider. We like transparency about the creation, manufacture and supply of products as much as possible.

What would be your dream BAUX product

We’re always excited to see what BAUX is doing next. We haven’t installed the pulp products in any of our projects yet so that would be lovely to work with. It’s incredible that such a seemingly delicate, beautiful material can do so much to help the acoustics within a space. Would love to see if there will be any further experimentation with this product in terms of texture – could other natural fibres be used for example? Flower heads perhaps.

Visit the case Trifle* Studio to learn more about the project or visit the inspiration page for other BAUX Acoustic interior design projects.