The addition of the piano called for a redesign of the room. The piano itself had to sit with the lid open to the room, because a lid open to the wall creates poor acoustics (every time I see a piano that is open to the wall or corner, I know that the piano is mainly for show, not for music). The sofa and side chairs had to be repositioned to make way for the new focal point of the room. Before the piano arrived, I made a tracing of the piano and played with it in different locations of the room (any piano store will gladly do this for a serious customer). As a grand piano is so heavy, delicate, and difficult to move, it best to figure out the placement as accurately as possible before the piano is moved in!
Since the piano is such a central part of the life of my family, and such a prominent part of my living room, I always notice when there is a piano involved in a room arrangement. Pianos are certainly not as common as they used to be in American households, but when I see one I always hope that it is as cherished and frequently played as my piano.
O Magazine, September 2007. This piano is the focal point of the room. I can just imagine the little girl taking lessons on this piano in a few years!
Tom Scheerer design, Park Avenue apartment. I love the chair with the piano.
From an old real estate listing. Notice how the piano is way over on the side, almost like a piece of furniture. However, it is well positioned for the entire space to enjoy the music.
This must be a city loft. I image the piano as the divider between the living room and the dining room. Perfect placement for entertaining both areas! (I have no idea where this image is from...please let me know if you recognize it)
I love this idea...a piano in the library. As long as the sound carries to the living room when one is entertaining, it is a nice idea for the piano to have a room of its own. Sometimes you have to make too many design decisions around the piano when it dominates the living room. (I am not sure where this image is from either...)To subscribe to my blog by email, click here.
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Great post Sarah, I would love to have a piano at home, or even just the space, or even just to be able to play one!! My husband plays guitar - that's our musical offering at our parties, but its not quite the same look in an interior.
ReplyDeleteI love the way Tom Sheerer has mixed his styles. It would never occur to me to put a modern chair with a baby grand. What a great way to knock down the formality of the piano a bit.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post! Beautiful photos!
ReplyDeletePat
I have a cream colored baby grand in my dining room! We also have antique square piano in our living room. They do pose their design challenges, that is for sure! Our table cannot be centered in the room, for starters!
ReplyDeleteOur baby grand in the dining room has a player feature so we can listen to it play even when we are not playing it ourselves, I love it!
Hey, we are having a little poll at my blog on our favorite "classics", we'd love some insight from you or your readers, if any of you can stop in!
Melissa
Oh, yes, great post! I love that piano in the loft....gorgeous space. You are so right that a piano brings life to a space. It is like a soul, isn't it? We don't have the space for a grand piano, but we have a small upright in our study/office and we enjoy its addition to our home. I wish I could play! (My husband is the musically talented one in our home!)
ReplyDeleteSarah, another great post. I would love to have a grand piano - sadly my skills and my budget and my space do not permit such an acquisition, but they do look dashing. One of our neighbours who lives on the lake side of the neighbourhood has giant windows over the lake and you can see their grand piano at night, backlit by the room. David Foster, a famous Canadian music writer/producer, is a friend of theirs and has the piano played at their house. We were there for a BBQ two weeks later and it was so nice to see their now-famous piano close up.
ReplyDeleteP.S. If you have any thoughts about that Ethan Allen table I posted about, just email me. I am not keen on the quality (veneer), but I adore the style, so I am on the fence right now. I just can't afford to have a table made from walnut or something in this style -a carpenter I know said it would cost a fortune, at least $2000-$2500 and there is a lot of scrap from making curved legs, so the wood cost is high. What do you think?? Email me if you have time?! Terri
Great post! It is always an issue isn't it? These a wonderful pictures.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all of your great comments! Sometimes, when I look through my computer files, a theme for a post just pops into my head. When I realized how many pictures of pianos I had, I thought it would make a different kind of a post.
ReplyDeletePretty pictures and good text! I love piano music!
ReplyDeleteThanks and have good day
I agree with everyone that the photos are gorgeous. It actually makes me want to buy a piano but alas, I never had any talent for it!
ReplyDeleteThe great thing about the piano is even when the little girl absolutely refuses to practice anymore, the piano still looks great! My parents have an old square grand that my mother often uses as a buffet.
ReplyDeleteWho plays the piano? You, everyone? Interesting, I always hated my lessons so much, but of course that was because I was totally untalented. Only my parents thought they could change that,pure d torture. Excellent post, never seen one like it before.
ReplyDelete