A cathedral ceiling.
Baffles are usually used to reduce reverberation or vibration of sound from bouncing around in a room. Rooms with vaulted or cathedral ceilings tend to have more issues with echoing and sound reflection. Many commercial facilities use baffles to absorb and reduce the sound. You can create your own type of baffles that will give effective reduction of sound in a room with a cathedral ceiling.
Ceilings
The key to sound reduction in any room is to have objects that reflect and absorb the sound. For cathedral ceilings, hanging decorative tapestries, quilts or swooping drapes across the ceiling in a few areas of the room will greatly reduce the noise. Industrial buildings use baffles that are made of absorbent material and the baffles are patterned across the ceiling of the building in rows or designs. This same idea can be done by using cork, felt or other material and creating a unique art design on the ceiling that will give both a decorative flare plus a soundproofing effect.
Another idea for baffles on the ceiling is to create the type of horizontal lined material that commercial buildings use, but create your own. Use cloth vertical window blinds to hang in rows across the cathedral ceiling. They could be left opened or closed and individually hung, or kept on the frame together and attached to the ceiling from both top and bottom of the blinds. Add some dried flower arrangements or other artistic décor across the top and bottom borders of the blinds to finish the look. Anything hung on the ceiling will need to be safely secured so it doesn't fall on anyone.
Walls/Windows
The same artistic idea can be brought to the walls as used on the ceiling by hanging quilts, tapestries and other art work. If you have large wall areas, place a family heirloom quilt, old military uniform or other inherited treasures in a custom frame on your wall for a beautiful memoir that will help fill the walls and reduce the noise.
Windows should be covered with blinds or curtains to reduce the noise in the room. Using both cloth window shades and drapes will deaden the sound vibration all the more. If you want to get real aggressive with your soundproofing, apply acoustical caulk around all windows, doors, electrical boxes and any woodwork that touches the floor. This caulk stays flexible for long periods of time and will help stop the noise from bouncing around the room.
Floors/Furniture
Carpet with a thick pad will reduce a lot of noise. If you have wood or bare floors, place several area rugs in the room. Furniture placed in a room will create less of an echo than an empty room. If money is scarce, shop thrift stores and garage sales for some deals on furniture and cover them with slip covers. Buy or make wall bookshelves to fill more of the space. The more furniture placed in a room, the less sound vibration you will get.
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