How can I make my new kitchen less echoey?!

[Thurlow]

Just moved in. The kitchen is lovely BUT it's long, has an entire back wall made of glass, a Karndean floor, and quite shiny kitchen cupboards, and the overall effect is to make it seem really quite echoey.

If it was any other room I could throw rugs and curtains and cushions at the problem but that won't work in this room at all.

Any other suggestions?

Photo for help - as you can see, there's no room for a sofa or anything softer! (Obviously it still needs pictures and a dining table that actually fits )

Are there lighting options other than the overhead floodlights? You perhaps need a standing lamp near the dining table so you can eat with ambience other than “interrogation”.

Tablecloth on the dining table.
Accent chair with a cushion and blanket.
Sideboard where that console table is?

It’s lovely! But if it were mine I’d be floral wallpapering and replacing the cupboards with painted ones and making it look like a grandma palace so my suggestions might not work. Paint it something less bright white?

Beautiful thick velvety curtains by the window would help a lot. A thick rug in the dining area (not if you have food-chucking toddlers though, clearly. I'd beware of an accent chair unless it will definitely be used as a chair - they are ripe to become infuriating 'holding pens' for the belongings of lazy people like me

Rug under table and under wall bench

Curtains

Consider soft pictures on wall ie printed on foam / fabric or at least on stretched linen

Or just reject the idea of fabric and have the echoes 🤷‍♀️

Rug on floor (mat in kitchen, rug under dining table). Chair cushions on dining chairs.

Table cloth.

Curtains or thick blind.

Potted plants

Rubber matting on top of top kitchen units (??)

Fabric hangings for walls - maybe a nice small rug or throw hung up. Or full tapestry look if you prefer!

Curtains and rugs I would.

I reckon you could fit a ‘cuddle chair’ or small IKEA sofa where the console table is.

I second the idea of curtains.

A rug under the table and chairs will help- once that awful scrapy noise has gone when you pull out a chair it will feel and sound much better! Also agree with thick curtains and a big generous plant - anything to absorb the sound. Aldo adding ambient lighting.

Hard surfaces mean that sound waves will be reflected/bounced back. So all the suggestions for rugs, curtains, 'soft' pictures on walls, will help. Acoustics in buildings are rarely given as much consideration as, say, lighting and ventilation. It looks lovely, though.

Felt pads on feet of furniture, especially table and chairs, replace the scrapy sound with a gentle shhh.

@Daisydoesnt

awful scrapy noise has gone when you pull out a chair

You can get felt to stick on bottom of chairs to stop that scrapy noise.

Ah, I see @Gagagardener got there ahead of me.

Wall mounted acoustic panels will absorb the noise.

Hi op- Acoustic Consultant here - As pp advised - acoustic absorption panels (either wall mounted or hung from the ceiling) is the best bet. The greater area of panels you can hang the better the effect will be. You can get them printed with any image these days (so will look like a canvas art print) or they do various arty looking shapes / fabrics textures etc so you can find something that looks attractive.
Will be a lot more effective and space saving than soft furnishings.