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5 in 3: The Sonus Sound Off - Episode 2 with Tina Stear of Platte Architecture + Design

Want to learn more about acoustics and hear more of Tina's incredibly insightful answers? Click Here to watch the extended cut!

5 in 3: The Sonus Sound Off - Episode 2 with Tina Stear of Platte Architecture + Design

Brock: Hello everyone. Thank you for joining us today for the second edition of Five in Three, the Sonus Sound Off. I have two, two illustrious guests today. Brian MacKenzie, the Vice President of Sales at Sonus. And Tina Stear, she's an interior designer and she will talk a little bit more about her background.

She studied in Copenhagen and I was wondering, during her time studying in Copenhagen, what did she learn in Europe or specifically in Copenhagen that is different about how the architecture industry, interior design, products, any of that kind of stuff works, to what you currently have experienced in the States over your career.

Tina: I think the biggest thing that I learned in Copenhagen or what I was observing in my time over there and then just traveling throughout Europe. It seems like there's much more, there's a higher social value placed on the environment and the design of spaces Personally, it's an aesthetic that I love, so it was really exciting to see it not as sparingly implemented as it is in the US.

Brock: Yeah, it does seem like they have more of a focus on kind of, the environment inside of a space. I'm wondering if there's somebody in kind of, your realm, your world that you have admired lately.

Tina: So, I cheated a little bit on this one. Somewhat an adjacent relation. There is a fashion designer, Pierpaolo Piccioli, who's the head of Valentino right now, and he did this show, the Pink show.

I don’t know if you guys have seen anything from it. It was the Autumn-Winter 22 show. And every single garment was bright pink, the same color. The carpet, the room that it was presented in, everything was this exact same color, and it was all about form. So, when you strip out one element of design, what are you left with and what does it look like?

And back to our previous conversation, when you don't, when you can't control necessarily, like get the exact finish that you want, what can you do with form to make sure that it's a good project?

Brian: Tina, when it comes to soundproofing and absorption, what do you think is the most important, or the first question you would ask a decision maker?

Tina: We are often asking them, you know, what do you want? What's the sound quality that you're looking for? You know, if we're doing a law firm, sound absorption, sound dampening, sound deadening is really important. Versus, you know, some restaurants, they want the lively buzz. So it's like understanding what the sound story is that they're aiming for.

Unfortunately, a lot of sound attenuation isn't necessarily sexy, so it can be an easy thing that's cut. So another thing that we try to do is make it a design feature and not just an applied surface. That makes it a little bit harder to be dropped out or to be cut in the VE process.

Brian: Do you guys run into situations where it gets cut, but then the client moves into the space and says, Why did we do this?

Tina: All the time.

Brian: All the time. Interesting

Tina: All the time. We did a big hospitality space brewery and they dropped the sound attenuation and then nearly everybody that I've talked to who had been in there in the first few months was like, it's great. It's just so loud. I think they ended up doing something about it within the first few months of operation.

Brock: This is the fun, exciting, lightning-round part. You have a Saturday totally free. You can do anything you want on that Saturday. What activity or hobby or people are you going to see, or what are you doing for that 24 hours of a totally free Saturday?

Tina: This is so foreign because I have two small kids. I would start with yoga.

And then I would go to our local farmer's market here, Findley Market, which is just right over there. I would buy a bunch of fresh food and I would ideally do some sort of other outdoor activity like a hike or go kayaking or something like that. But then from, let's say three o'clock on, I would cook. I don't know what I would make, but I would make something,

Brock: Whatever you were able to make from your hall at the farm line. Yes. Your current favorite restaurant and your perfect order?

Tina: My current favorite restaurant, my favorite restaurant for probably eight years now. We keep trying other places and then we go back to this place, it's called Bouquet and it's a little, I guess farm to table is their claim to fame, but it's a new menu with each season, and so my perfect order would be they usually have a great salad, some sort of seasonal salad, and then they do a pork chop depending on whatever flavors or ingredients are available.

That is always just amazing.

Brian: Your time is so precious, but thank you so much for doing this.

Tina: Yeah, no problem. It was nice to meet you, Brock. Safe travels.

Brock: Yeah, I will echo Brian's statements, and say thank you so much for your time.

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