Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Need some Piano room decor recommendations please...

The problem with going black and white is your flooring color. The carpet is a warm tone, and it doesn't really help the stark black & white contrast idea. I would work around the two colors you (probably) aren't going to change: the carpet and your piano.

I would eliminate the two table and have the only thing on that wall be your piano. Rotate it 90 degree so that the bench is near the window and it opens out into the room. This will make the piano the focal point.

Find a warm color for the walls if you can paint them. Nothing too dark, as it seems there is only the one window for light? You can probably do pretty much any color you'd like and make it work. Then find another color to contrast that, but one that goes with it, depending on your style tastes. I wouldn't go with an overly bright color unless you want it to be very festive.

Take a look at a lot of pictures online. There doesn't have to be a piano in it for the colors to work. Your piano will pretty much match anything! I generally think of a style of decorating I like for inspiration, and then the colors come from that. For example, if you want a southewestern look, you'd pick colors with bright oranges, tans, and yellows in contrast with purples and deep blues, with wood that has a rich red mahogany stain but a somewhat distressed look.

Head to the paint store and pick up booklets that they have with color combinations and pictures of them in a room already picked out for you. Bring them back to this room and see what the color swatches look like in there at different times of the day because the natural lighting of a room will change the paint color slightly.

Aha - Photos added!

I was thinking back to your thread photos, when the piano first arrived, and the room was not visible.

OK - Here is the totally blunt, very direct, and just my own design sense. And the best part, I can pretend that I'm spending your money!


Tiny Violin - Cute but Gone

Both Oak Tables - Wrong color and style - Gone

Taupe Sof-ette Thingy - Gone

Rotate - Piano flat with wall, tail close to railing.

Replace - Mini-Violin with full size, pawn shop cheapo instrument of choice. (save mini-viol for Christmas tree)

Add - Black lacquer (semi-gloss) music cabinet below 'instrument,' between door and window. Doors preferred.

Add - Two small club chairs, preferably barrel-back, upholstered in burgundy or oxblood micro-fiber. (leather, if you want the "guy-thing.")

Add - Small round end table in black with brass trim. Could also be glass top with brass frame.

Add - Contemporary Torchiere lamp at bass end of piano for music desk light.

Replace (or paint) - Fan Blades in black and get simpler light kit. I also like the idea of spots, rather than bulbs.

Move - Humidifier to floor in corner by window, behind bench.

Plunk - Several large potted plants in appropriate places. (Good for humidity)

Assess - Drapery and artwork for scale and style. I would tend toward black/white for art above piano (your's might work well) and drapery in same color as chairs.


Shop Carefully and it won't cost an arm and a leg.

Have fun! - (I did)

Addendum -

For "instrument" on wall. An old french horn can become a great ivy planter. Bell must be bent to hang flush with wall. Brass accent would be great!

Stairwell wall needs decoration. Big Stuff!

Shaolin, do you own the unit or rent?

I'd take out all the furniture and explore moving the piano as others have suggested.

Then put stuff back in in a way that creates some diagonals and circles. The room will still have right angles because of it's shape, you do not need to add to them.

Remember to consider the rule of thirds!

Remove furniture! choose the best angle for the piano..use 2 chairs instead of sofa, you need shelves
the room is small, less clutter the better..

Well, let's start by taking away. The end tables do not go with the piano in color or style. You may find a new home for them. You will need shelves for music scores, so you might replace them with two short shelves (two or three shelves high; tall freestanding shelves can fall over), with a dark stain that harmonizes with the piano's black.

The couch appears to be a back seat from a car. Your mother is right, that a suitably handsome short couch could replace it. But wait--- the room is not big, and you might consider what else is essential before you go shopping.

First and foremost, a nice lamp for the piano. I like my balance-arm lamp, which has a polished black stone base. Or, with the low ceiling, you might go with a hanging lamp, or with can lights in the ceiling with eyeball directional fittings, on a dimmer.

I had that same Chinese-made no-name bench. You will find that it will be somewhat unstable, especially in a carpeted room, and that it will not last. Consider a Jansen artist bench.

For wall decorations, you might consider a nicely framed print that picks up the grand piano theme. Real musical instruments can make a handsome and unusual wall display. You may find them at pawn shops, or ask at places which repair musical instruments for pieces which are not repairable, and which would otherwise be discarded. One caution: beware of things which might rattle with vibrations from the piano, such as tambourines.

I find that it is very handy to have a side table next to the keyboard, for scores, recording console, placing beverages or anything else (which is, anything at all) that shouldn't go on the piano. I found some handy wheeled ones at an office store, with dark 'wood' surfaces.

That will pretty much use up your room. But there is more: if you record, there are mikes, console or computer, speakers, cabling to consider. If you use a DP, there is the instrument, its stand and light (your present bench might serve there), headphones. If you have ensemble members in, room for their music stands and instrument racks will be needed. Maybe that short couch with low end tables will be handy in that case. Or, cabinets rather than tables; your gear will have to go somewhere when not in use.

This low ceilinged kind of room can look well with torchiere uplighting, which pushes it outward, visually... though, with carpet, the less things you put on it, the easier it will be to vacuum. You might at least take the light fixture off the ceiling fan (or even replace the whole thing, for one with dark wood fan blades). It's true the room will need area lighting at times, but it doesn't have to look like a cow's udders.

I think it's a nice room for a practice piano. It appears to be new construction, so I wouldn't do too much with painting, etc, until a need becomes clear. Possibly, you could replace the builders' standard doorknob with something nicer-looking. That is an easy way to make an impact.

I would move the piano so the long straight side of the piano is parallel to the railing (banister) ... and the player is seated with their back to the wall.

I wouldn't want to face the wall, I'd rather face the open room and\or the window.

Don't forget this:

And a good person you are! I still like the idea of sequined dinner jackets, but you might be too young to get the reference.

I always say I saw it on History Channel.

So the tail is facing the wall ..another interesting idea. I need to create a 3D view of this probably.

Hi,
and congratulations on your new piano.

I used a tool similar to this to try out placement in my living room.

http://www.la-z-boy.com/Design-Center/Room-Planner/?WT.ac=designhelp_3d@sidemenu

Resizable grand piano under living room, then generic---I used the 2 d version

Good Luck

How 'bout having the long straight edge of the piano parallel to the railing so the player has their back against the wall looking into the room.

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned in terms of decor on/around the piano, but, IMO, everyone should have at least one composer bust/sculpture in their music room ha ha. Get one of your favourite composer

Utilizing the corner by setting the piano in an angle seems to work and look the best. This way you are fully using every corner of the small room. You are also able to get to the keys better from different directions.

To store books, I would recommend bins that go on the floor rather than a bulky book case next to the piano. This will save space and use the floor under the piano to store books.

Pictures should go on the wall since there is no space on the floor. Some of my pictures are on the floor as well as on the wall, as I have a bigger room to work with.

Hope ths helps.

Good morning all,

Dude, give us the room measurements! That way we can all play around with placements and piano sizes in 3D programs or floor plan programs.

What are you looking at if you are standing in that entry space? Dining room? ???? It would help in considering the total area.

We all need to tap our inner Martha Stewart!