Obviously the designer doesn't know a thing about pianos. You never put them by a heat source. In front of the fireplace is a no no. It looks ridiculous also

A little harsh, diane707. Considering the narrowness of the room and the placement of the heating sources, the designer was somewhat restricted as to where the pianos would go.

Gorgeous. I have a piano. I play for pleasure and not a concert pianist so I would rather have a great look in the room. The piano does not have to be the focus in regard to the heat source when the result is so gorgeous.

@diane707 - it is always better to read the story behind the project before posting your comments - this is what I wrote above: "I suppose it doesn't show clearly in the photos but with the piano in front of the bay window (see before photos above) there was no way to position enough seating in the rest of the space. This arrangement definitely made the best use of the room's configuration and I should have mentioned that the fireplace is DECORATIVE only - not functional." My clients are both professionally trained musicians and are fully aware of where to place their instruments. Moreover, we needed to make a family living room AND a place where music lessons could take place in a rather small space with a rather large piano!

@Sauve - thank you for your comments. The violin was just placed on the piano for the photo shoot. I personally think the piano is so beautiful on its own (design and colour) that I like it to take centre stage without flowers or rug etc. There is already a beautiful large area rug adjacent to the piano/fireplace area.

Additionally, hanging heavy fabric over the piano would deaden its sound and complicate opening the lid for performance. And what a nice view toward the window when practicing! From a musician's standpoint the placement is beautiful.

Beautiful, if they never use the fireplace.

HI -- If everyone would just read the past comments then you would all know that the " non functioning " fireplace issue was answered by the designer Rebecca Mitchell in regards to the placement of the piano .

Beautiful!

Beautiful!

It should have been mentioned the fireplace was decorative. Being a musician I cringed when I saw that keyboard by the fireplace but being decorative is the game changer.

Read before you post...

Paino shouldn't be near a fp.

If I were a designer I would hesitate to share, knowing people are so ready to post rude and negative remarks before they have even finished reading. Beautiful job, Rebecca! Don't let the haters get you down :)

Really annoying when someone only looks at the photos and shoots off their mouth without reading the OP comments. It all looks lovely Rebecca.

If talking about me? I have cateracts, sometimes I miss something, sorry. I know others commented too. It's looking good are you done? We all keep commenting forever!

Thank you everyone for taking the time to post your comments - good and bad. It's all part of the process - everyone likes different things but that's what makes my job so interesting. My clients were thrilled and, most importantly, no pianos were harmed in the making of this living room.

It looks lovely and is so much more functional now. The room has a serene feel with the colors you chose and the removal of clutter.

I have to say that room would be beautiful even if it was empty. I love all the pretty windows. Which also makes it a difficult room to work with when you have a large piano and a faux fireplace. It had to be quite a challenge. I also like the furniture that was in the original photo too. I wonder if they were able to use them in other rooms of the house? Charming.

@wrbp thank you for your comments and question. I believe some of the old furniture was used elsewhere.

From 'Nanna' to NOW! Great job!

I can't figure out how to add a thumbs up to your post about no pianos being harmed....I so want too Rebecca...as one who loves design...GREAT JOB IN A CHALLENGING ROOM!!!!

@togetherbydesign - thanks that's so sweet of you! All you have to do is click on the "thumbs up" icon of my post... thanks again!

Did it thanks for the explanation.

nice.

Looks wonderful, but find a way to make cords less obvious. They are distracting from overall design.

Good observation re cords. We missed this during photo shoot!

Rebecca, I am an interior designer, and you know how picky we can be! I'm always telling my husband when we move furniture to make sure the cords don't show. He thinks I am being obsessive, but it is important to the overall look. Keep up the good work!

Fantastic redo!

Great job! It looks so much more functional and comfortable!

I think it's fabulous and if the fireplace was not being used why not cover it up with the piano. Piano's are gorgeous statement pieces! My only question is what is on the lower shelves? Are those files to hold music? Out of the entire space, that is the only thing I don't find attractive. I can tell you are still working on filling the top shelves, good to take your time and find really great fillers, rather than just "stuff" that will look cluttered. I love the seating in front of the window, great use of space. Enjoy!

well done!! you've managed to modernize the space with keeping in the same color scheme and moving the new furniture around.

I think the fact the the fireplace is decorative somehow makes it okay to place a gorgeous piano there. But I think people who decorate with fireplaces do not necessarily want folks to know it's faux :) That's why whethere it's real or not makes people "cringe". That's not necessarily my opinion just that I always though pianos look best near a window.

I like the makeover. However, I hope you were able to use the other furniture in other spaces in your home. I am a huge fan of toile fabrics. I have toile accents in my guest bedroom. Very nice.

now about that piano....(Just kidding). the transformation looks amazing!

Thank you all for your recent comments. If you read the description of this project (this is not my living room but a client's), it explains why the piano was placed in front of the fireplace. It actually doesn't hide the (decorative) fireplace as when you enter you get a nice sight line of the lovely fire screen and mantle. If you look at the before photos above you will see that the shelves were filled with music books. Now they are neatly stored in the black boxes. The musical busts decorate the top shelves for a clean (versus cluttered) look. And yes some of the furniture was used elsewhere (I believe the rest was sold) as it was not functional or comfortable for a young family of four. The current furniture much better suits their lifestyle and needs.

@ altalag - ha ha (not)!

The windows...the WINDOWS!!! Love.

@Jodi Martin - those lead glass windows are simply to die, for I agree!

I understand the fireplace is non functioning, but from a design perspective, it looks a little uncomfortable because it's assumed the fireplace does work. So to strangers like us, it looks a little awkward. Besides that, I think the room is quite beautiful.

@ej610 - as mentioned many times, this configuration was the only way to allow for sufficient seating and room for piano lessons. In this case, form follows function!

I understand that, I was just trying to explain why people were commenting on the piano. Knowing that the fireplace is non functioning, it makes sense for the piano to be there.

Perhaps I was not expecting such strong reaction from Houzzers because so many fireplaces in older homes in Montreal are merely decorative. I don't know but I'm getting just a little weary of defending and explaining the rationale behind this design;)

In addition to wonderful overall placement in the space, the shelves and music storage are lovely.

I love the placement of the piano. I also have a big black Steinway grand in my living room and teach piano. It is interesting to see how this placement improved the whole look and feel of the room. Great job!

BTW, a great piano should not be in a big window on an outside wall, if it is possible to place them elsewhere.

@ebova, thank you for pointing this out - where were you a couple of weeks ago?!!!

Looks good! From a homey piano room to a classy, minimalist living quarters. Well done!

//moises

Nice updates!