Sonos’ First Store Is Designed To Feel And Sound Like Your Home

Sonos is opening its first store in New York City, which embodies the brand’s belief that better sound makes a better home. It provides customers with a place to experience sound that actually feels like their home, building the retail space so it seems similar to a friend’s house instead of a traditional store.

The listening experience is at the core of the Soho store, with Sonos’ Sound Experience Leader, Giles Martin, sonically tuning every inch of the space for maximum sound quality. There are seven central listening rooms covered in thousands of pounds of sheetrock and custom-beveled glass. These are soundproof, acoustically perfect, and arranged so they’re similar to the way people listen to music at home. The rooms have been designed with studies, kitchens and living rooms, letting visitors hear great sound on devices such as home theater systems and turntables in the right context.

Each unique listening room also boasts custom furniture, visual art and lighting design that reflects some of the brand’s favorite styles and periods from the past century. Legendary illustrators and painters like Mark Stamaty, Thibaud Herem and Mark Chamberlain designed and hand-painted the wallpaper, while Thurston Moore has lent them a selection of his cassette tapes from the golden age of NYC cassette trading.

Sonos aims to inspire people with home audio, designing its first tore to be a great place to hear music in the home rather than the recording studio. They used the tools of home design to get the best possible audio, filling the space with bookshelves and woven rugs—their favorite pieces for improving acoustics in any home.

Those who visit the store can get a real feel for how physical space enhances sound, boosted by the surrounding materials and furniture.