Yes — and often dramatically. Soundbars and TVs fire sound into the room, where most of it reflects off walls, the ceiling and the floor before reaching your ears. In acoustically untreated living rooms, you hear the original sound mixed with delayed reflections — which is why dialogue can sound muddled, music loses detail, and explanations during documentaries become hard to follow. Adding panels behind and beside the TV (and on the wall behind your seating) absorbs those reflections so you hear cleaner sound from the source. Most clients tell us their soundbar sounds noticeably better after treatment, without changing equipment

It depends on what you're optimising for. Wood slat panels work well as feature walls and bring warmth to a room — they're the choice if aesthetics drive the project. PET felt panels (Autex Cube, ReFelt) come in 25+ colours and add texture, sitting between decoration and acoustic function. Fabric-wrapped panels (SilentSpace) deliver the best pure absorption performance with a clean, minimal look — ideal for serious hi-fi or home cinema rooms where sound quality is the priority. Printed acoustic panels can carry custom artwork or photography. Most living rooms benefit from a combination.

A standard 20-30m² living room usually needs 4-8 panels covering 15-25% of one or two main wall surfaces. That's enough to bring reverberation down from a typical 0.7-1.0 seconds to a more comfortable 0.4-0.6 seconds. Larger open-plan living areas need more. The acoustic calculator gives you a precise figure based on your dimensions.

The wall behind the TV is the highest priority — that's where most TV/soundbar reflections originate. The wall behind your main seating is next, because reflections from there bounce back and interfere with the sound from the TV. Side walls between the TV and seating are useful additions for serious media setups. For purely decorative wood slat installations, the wall behind the sofa or behind the TV is usually the obvious choice — both create a feature wall while delivering acoustic benefit. Avoid covering the wall directly opposite the TV — you actually want some reflection there to maintain natural room ambience.

No — not unless you significantly over-treat the space. The goal in a living room is balance, not deadening. A treated living room still sounds like a comfortable home; it just sounds calmer, with clearer dialogue and music. If anything, properly treated rooms feel cosier because the absence of harsh reflections is genuinely relaxing.

No. Acoustic panels absorb sound inside a room to reduce echo. They don't block sound between rooms or from outside. If your problem is footsteps from upstairs or noise from neighbours, that's soundproofing — and it requires structural solutions (acoustic plasterboard, resilient bars, isolation) rather than panels. More on the difference between soundproofing and absorption.

For a typical 20-30m² living room, expect £400–£1,500 on materials depending on panel type and finish. PET felt panels come in at the lower end (around £40-80 per panel), fabric-wrapped and timber slat panels mid-range, and printed/bespoke designs at the higher end. A statement feature wall using premium wood slat or BAUX wood wool typically lands at £800-£1,500. Most living room projects come in under £1,000 because relatively modest coverage produces a strong improvement.

Most living room panels are designed for straightforward DIY installation — typically adhesive, hooks or screws. A drill, a tape measure and an afternoon is usually all you need. For rented properties, several products in our range mount with low-tack adhesive or removable hanging systems that lift off without damaging walls. Free-standing acoustic screens give you the same benefit with no fixings at all if your tenancy doesn't allow wall fixings.