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96 maconmagazine.com | June/July 2024 Hi-Fi & Cozy Wishing for a music retreat at home to practice your instrument, unwind with your most-loved tunes, or organize your record collection? Here are ve design tips to pull it all together. To minimize sound re ection and create a clear listening experience, add soft surfaces to your space. Built-ins, curtains, plush rugs, and acoustic art panels will all help. At all costs, "avoid setting up your listening area in an empty nook," says Noah Silver, owner of Vertigo Vinyl, adding, "sound bounces o of surfaces, so a completely empty space with blank walls will create an echo." Bring in acoustic helpers Think outside the box by decorating with mementos, sculptures, and handmade art – not just musical motifs and objects. For example, Silver decorated his storefront with a large-scale painting of his mother's poetry book, encouraging anyone to "make your music room yours." Silver mixes in the expected elements, too: record players, records, and framed, signed CD inserts and artist posters. But, one of his favorite pieces is a set of 1970s Edi er speakers, "which you can hook to any other speaker," he says, adding, "this combination creates great sound. That's what I care about, making sure I have really good sound, that it's loud and clear." 3 Layer in personal, non-music elements Let your equipment double-duty as art 2 Store your music gadgets in style by thinking beyond a traditional media cabinet. Instead, try oating record display shelves, show-and-listen album cover display frames, guitar wall mounts or instrument display cases — an approach that turns your existing equipment into eye-catching accents. Silver also suggests hunting for one-of- a-kind nds from thrift stores or local businesses versus buying from big- boxed retailers. "When designing your music space, go with independent stores because they have more knowledge to o er, and it's a nice experience to have a room designed by people who are passionate about what they're selling," says Silver. Local-loving anti-static cork slipmat, Fresh Produce Records, $20 Oushak rugs, Poppy's of Macon, $1,150+ Sarah and Justin Schanck's listening nook. Photo by Mike Young. 1 Shivani Vyas operates Studio Vyas, a boutique interior design studio in Macon. She is a residential interior designer, design writer, and home advocate who believes a home should always lift and comfort the spirit. Follow her on Instagram with @studiovyas. Contact her at hello@studiovyas.com. Home listening nooks