Belgian designer Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte has created a portable desk divider that allows users to actively isolate themselves from the noise around them (+ slideshow).
Brussels-based Vandeputte designed the felt divider, Diplomate, to be easy to move and to use so that users can have the option of isolation at work.
"The hubbub and the noise are part of our daily life," he said. "Diplomate is therefore the opportunity to isolate ourselves and to have a break."
Noise-reducing products are becoming increasingly popular as a response to open-plan offices, where its been reported that workers have trouble finding quiet space to concentrate.
Designed in collaboration with French studio Designez-Vous, Diplomate has an oak frame with a body made from a folded piece of grey felt, providing a visual and auditory screen for the user.
The solid base does not need to be fixed to the table, meaning Diplomate is easy to move between workstations, while the folded felt creates a space to hide smaller objects, removing clutter from the desk's surface.
Vandeputte, whose designs focus on creating privacy and personal space, has also produced a collection of alcoves, Nascondino, again made up of oak frames with felt screens.
Different-sized pieces of felt can be added to the stands depending on the desired effect. These alcoves, like the dividers, provide "a moment of intimacy", according to Vandeputte.
Felt is being used in more office furniture and accessories – including on screens, lighting, cupboards and wall-mounted booths – as designers seek to dampen noise in shared workspaces.
For more architectural soundproofing, Swedish design studio Form Us With Love has created acoustic panels that look like wood.
Photography is by Miko Miko Studio.