Nest Baffle: Rounding Out Acoustics

Boston-based designer Kelly Harris Smith has been designing products for FilzFelt since its founding in 2008. Her products have ranged from colorful space dividers to textile-inspired wall patterns. Now Kelly looks to keep the sound down with acoustic absorption overhead with a collection of hanging baffles.

Inspired by her pattern work in textiles and a recent collection of graphic watercolor prints, the Nest series includes two rounded and one linear panel that can be oriented in endless patterns and add a natural softness overhead in over ninety colors of pure wool felt. 

Learn more about Nest Baffle

About Kelly Harris Smith 

Kelly Harris Smith is a Boston-based, award-winning designer and creative director specializing in natural and sustainable materials in commercial and residential interior design. By balancing intricacy and simplicity, Kelly’s designs are distinctive for their pattern, color, and innovative functionality. Whether creating small accessories or large interior architecture installations, Kelly begins her design process with a thoughtful analysis of how people will interact with the product or environment. 

Learn more about Kelly 

“I’m obsessed with pattern, texture and color and hunt for those every day, particularly in the city. I find inspiration almost everywhere I go. Whether it’s the color of the sky at a particular moment, the texture of a manhole cover or the patterning on a facade, I’m constantly recording.” 

Behind the Design 

If you follow Kelly Harris Smith on social media, you know sketching and watercoloring are regular rituals and an integral part of her design process. Working in various mediums, from paint, colored pencil, pen and ink, and marker, Kelly creates lively patterns that she regularly translates to her work in product design and textiles. 

For Nest Baffle, Kelly reimagines an array of patterns from her sketches in an acoustic system that allows for custom designs across the ceiling. We met up with Kelly in her Boston studio, where she shared a collection of her watercolor prints that inspired the collection and the continued significance of this ritual in her work across various areas of interior and product design. 

Read our interview with Kelly

“The Nest Baffles are a celebration of modularity and simplicity. I aimed to design a system that is not only visually striking but also versatile. By utilizing repeated shapes and incorporating shifts in color and height, this acoustic baffle system can be installed in a way that feels both intentional and organic.”