8 Ways to Make Your Piano Room Sing
Turn your upright piano into the star of the room or a great supporting player
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My sister just added a beautiful black upright piano to her home. It has turned her place into a musical hot spot for family and friends and has me thinking about getting one. But where would I put it, and how do I design a room with it?
If you have a new or used piano or are pondering the idea, here are some tips on finding a stylish place where your piano sounds and looks great.
Tip No. 1: Place your piano in a spot with consistent humidity and temperature — no extremes. Extreme temperature and humidity can weaken or damage the piano over time.
If you have a new or used piano or are pondering the idea, here are some tips on finding a stylish place where your piano sounds and looks great.
Tip No. 1: Place your piano in a spot with consistent humidity and temperature — no extremes. Extreme temperature and humidity can weaken or damage the piano over time.
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| Design your space around your piano. If your piano is a big part of your life, arrange your furniture around it for best listening pleasure. The look of your piano becomes important because it will be the focal point. Personalize the wall above it to reflect a sense of who you are. Also consider painting the walls and furnishing it with colors to contrast your piano. For example, if you have an ebony or dark-stained finish, keep the room bright by using soft colors and upholstery. The piano will steal the show! |
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| Place it off to one side. This gives you multiple options — piano playing on one side and the conversation area for entertaining on the other. |
| Put it in a living room. A living room is one room in the home that is not always used. So give it a new purpose and call it the piano room. Keep the piano in the front room, away from the rest of the house, so kids and adults can practice daily without disturbing others in the rest of the home. Tip: You might think the basement would be a good spot to put a piano, so practicers don't disturb others. But basements can have high humidity levels that could damage your piano. |
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| Use it to make a room look wider. If you have a narrow room, place the piano on the end wall to create a feeling of a wider room. You can also make the piano wall a space saver by incorporating a built-in around it. This is very handy for storing song books framing the piano so it stands out. |
Create a scene. The atmosphere you create around your piano can motivate you to practice. Hollywood stars watching you play is not a bad audience! Try a bold color as a backdrop for dramatic appeal.
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| Balance and enhance architectural details. If you have high windows, like in this photo, placing a piano underneath fills in the space. Pianos also balance out a rooms that have a fireplace that is not centered. Never place your piano in direct sunlight. Over time, the sun will damage the finish and heat can affect the tone. Also, do not place a piano near a drafty window, door or fireplace draft, or near a heating or air conditioning vent. It used to be the rule of thumb not to place a piano on an exterior wall, but because homes can be well-insulated these days, homeowners feel comfortable doing it. The key is to keep your piano safe from cold air and moisture. |
| Take advantage of the room's acoustics. A piano can sound bright and loud in a room with hard shiny surfaces. Rugs, upholstered furniture and window treatments absorb the sound, soften the tone and give warmth. The bigger the room, the more you should be aware of this. In a large room, try placing your piano in a corner so there is less bouncing of sound on other walls. |
Modernize your piano so it doesn't feel so heavy. Upright pianos are big and tall, so they can take up good space in a room, but there's no need to place it front and center. Find a corner that is wide, tall and deep enough for your piano. Add a few other elements to complete the look and it won't stand out.
Choose elements that make it feel airy like a large mirror over it and a lamp with a reflective base.
Have a piano? Tell us where it is in your house!
More: Tour an Eclectic, Music-Filled Home in Sydney
Browse: See hundreds of piano rooms
Choose elements that make it feel airy like a large mirror over it and a lamp with a reflective base.
Have a piano? Tell us where it is in your house!
More: Tour an Eclectic, Music-Filled Home in Sydney
Browse: See hundreds of piano rooms
Ideabook published on Dec. 10, 2011.
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While I can't play the piano, I have longed to since a young child and have been designing spaces (in my head) with pianos in them for almost as long as I could remember.It's a dream of mine one day that will eventually be fulfilled - I don't care if I'm 80 and learning to play ! to have my own piano in my house.Unfortunately, it's generally hard to find ideabooks about this that are applicable for practical homes.
ALEX. EGYPT 20-12-2011