Acoustic and Sound Design in Soho
Soho packs more hospitality into less space than almost anywhere in London. Restaurants, bars and members’ clubs sit wall to wall, often with residential flats above and licensing conditions that make noise control non-negotiable. These are small, characterful, hard surfaced rooms that fill quickly and get loud fast. Designing sound for Soho means solving for density, separation and atmosphere at the same time. We do that from the first drawing.
Soho restaurants, bars and members' clubs
The problem in a Soho room is rarely a lack of volume. It is the opposite. A full room of bare brick, glass and hard floors builds noise on itself until guests are shouting and the energy tips from lively to exhausting. Our work across Soho covers restaurants, bars, members' clubs and late venues, and in each the priority is intelligibility under load. We design the system and the acoustic treatment together, so the room stays comfortable at capacity rather than only when it is half full. We delivered exactly this at Claude's, the members' lounge at Chotto Matte on Frith Street, where a sculptural Pequod Acoustics system sits within a controlled basement interior.
Noise, neighbours and licensing
Few Soho sites stand alone. Most share party walls and sit beneath flats, which puts sound transmission and licensing conditions at the centre of the brief. We model how sound moves through and out of a space, plan containment into the design, and coordinate with the wider team so the venue meets its obligations without thinning out the experience inside. Resolving this at design stage is far cheaper than retrofitting it after a complaint.
Atmosphere that survives a full room
A Soho venue lives or dies on how it feels at peak. Our Cognitive Load Index framework assesses comfort, attention and fatigue, so the design holds up when the room is full and the energy is high. The aim is a space that feels alive without becoming tiring, where guests stay longer, spend more and come back.
For how we work with venues across the city, see our architectural audio consultancy in London.
Explore our hospitality audio and acoustic design and our approach to restaurant acoustic design.
See the Chotto Matte case study and more work in our portfolio.
Frequently asked
How do you prevent noise complaints in dense areas?
We model how sound moves through and out of a space, then design isolation and directivity control so energy stays inside the room and away from neighbours and party walls. Planning this early is far cheaper than resolving a complaint later.
Can you upgrade an existing restaurant sound system?
Yes. We audit the current acoustic environment and specify targeted upgrades to improve clarity, coverage and comfort, whether the venue is a restaurant, bar or members' club.
Do you design systems for live music and DJs?
Yes. We frequently design hybrid systems that handle background programming, live performance and DJ sets within the same room, which is common across Soho's restaurants, bars and late night venues.
Do you work directly with interior designers?
Yes. We work alongside the design team from the first drawing, so the audio and acoustic treatment complement the interior rather than competing with it.
Planning a Soho venue?
Book a thirty minute audio strategy review to identify the acoustic risks in your Soho space and the path to a room that performs at full capacity.
Book an Audio Strategy Review