Serene
Howie Y
Serene
Audio furniture — sound that blends into the room.
A debut wireless speaker for the brand Section: state-of-the-art audio in sleek Scandinavian furniture, with light-through aluminum controls and room-optimized tuning.
Role
Industrial Designer
Type
Industrial Design · CMF
Year
2019
Deliverables
Industrial Design · CMF
01 Brief
Section is an emerging brand of high-quality unlimited audio company. We've observed the rising demands for high-end audio equipment. Our debut product, Serene, fulfills the need for quality with style, and lays the groundwork for our brand's future.
02 Insight
Beyond Sound
Research with five high-end audio buyers revealed that purchasing a speaker was rarely about sound alone. Buyers were seeking immersion, simplicity, and products that seamlessly fit into their lifestyle and environment.
Customers want a time to escape, life without distractions, technology that blends in.
“…a time to escape…” “…life without any distractions…” “…technology that blends in…”
Based on research, they appreciate an integrated, powerful wireless audio system that blends into the room and delivers a mesmerizing listening experience without any extra distractions.
Person’s overall look
Electronics become another element of a person’s overall look to help them express who they are.
03 Solution
A piece of audio furniture
Serene is beautifully designed audio furniture — state-of-the-art materials and technology in a sleek Scandinavian form. Beautiful furniture that appeals to both aesthetic and functional tastes.
Audio Furniture
Meticulous design
We pay close attention to details. The result is iconic audio furniture you can put on display and enjoy anywhere; Serene is available in multiple colors, to blend or pop in any decor.
Tactile user-interaction
Light-through aluminum and built-in sensors allow users to control Serene subconsciously. The controls only appear when needed; when walking away, they dim once more, leaving only the well-crafted aluminum surface visible.
Placement settings
Serene can be placed casually on the floor or mounted on the wall.
Standing up
A rechargeable 6-hour battery provides users the opportunity to move the speaker around in their house. Users can enjoy music in multiple rooms even if they only have one speaker in the house.
Hanging on the wall
Room-Optimized Audio helps Serene adapt the tuning to compensate for surroundings based on the speaker’s positioning in the room. So the speaker will automatically expand the sound width to reach everyone, everywhere in the room.
04 Tech specs
Sound, by the numbers
Section Serene Exploded View - YouTube
Tap to unmute
Speaker configuration
1 × 6.5″ woofer — powerful bass performance
5 × 3.5″ full-range drivers — clear, defined reproduction
4 × 1″ soft-dome tweeters — spreading sound further and broader
Amplifier
1 × 400W class D — bass
2 × 200W class D — midrange
2 × 200W class D — full-range
2 × 150W class D — treble
Performance
Frequency range — 25–25,000 Hz
Maximum loudness — 100 dB SPL
05 Design process
How Serene came together
The research, exploration, and market positioning behind the product.
User research
Interviewed five high-end speaker buyers to understand their motivations, habits, and needs. Home is a private space to relax; taste runs minimalist and detail-obsessed, and they want technology to blend in.
Technology research
Studied directional and spatial audio to fill a room from one object: HyperSound, Dolby Atmos, driver-array geometries, and Active Room Compensation.
Sketches
Dozens of form explorations converged on a speaker that reads as furniture rather than a gadget.
Market opportunity
A $13.6B→$17.5B market (2020–2025, 5.2% CAGR) with few products priced between $1,700 and $2,500 — Serene is positioned to own that gap.
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Posted Jun 9, 2026
A wireless speaker designed to blend audio seamlessly into living spaces.
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