Have you considered putting the piano in the much larger living room, and using the (former) dining room as a TV room/away space instead of for the piano?

eta: I love the rug. I'm not good at imagining things and often change my mind when I see something in person, but I don't think that it would look odd for the piano to be angled across it.

Ok, oops, I made a mistake in designing my floor plans. The bump out for the bay window is not as roomy as I've drawn it (the drawing at the very beginning of this thread is right, but the floorplanner ones are not)

Here are some photos of the actual room (ignore the unironed curtains, I'll iron before we move in)

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Have you considered putting the piano in the much larger living room, and using the (former) dining room as a TV room/away space instead of for the piano?

No, I have specifically thought that I won't do that because I want the piano to not be in the same room as the kitchen. I know people do this... and of course, in our rental, the piano room sort of opens to the kitchen but the oven is back around the corner from where the piano is.... hmmm...

Here are some of the listing photos of our new house for reference...















If we did put the piano in the living room, then we'd have to actually use the dining room as a dining room, because we've been planning on having our dining room table at one end of the living room. But if there's a piano in there, that won't work.

The area behind the sink (in front of the patio door) isn't great for a regular dining space because it's pretty cramped, plus that will be our main entrance so we need to have a place for removing shoes etc.

So if there's a piano in the living room, there's not going to room left to accommodate all the seating/tv/dining furniture we've been planning on.

I wonder if the dining room could accommodate the dining room table and a tv viewing space... hmmm...

Wonder what Mr. SK would say about this idea...

now that I've seen the photos and floor plans (and I missed that the dimensions were on the first drawing), I think you'll have to decide what your priorities are.

If acoustics are your number one priority, I would sit for playing inside the bay window area (the bench goes there) and have the piano snugged up into the upper right hand corner, with the wing opened directly facing the doorway, as far away from that door as possible. This will give the sound the longest travel path possible. It will also give you more room for a seating arrangement.

Of course you will have to keep the heavy curtains closed most of the day and definitely block that heat vent.

The squareness of the room is problematic, acoustically, because the sound needs a travel path that allows the waves to move out unrestricted for a long enough distance. 11 feet is pretty short for this purpose, but the open doorway *should* help with that. So placing the piano at an angle gives the sound waves the longest possible travel.

The heavy drapes are a huge plus in mitigating this. But I think you are going to have to experiment with rugs, furnishings, etc to find out what is going to please your ear the most.

Sorry for offending you about the rug. I got the impression from your post that you yourself were questioning if it would work with the room.

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I think you'll have to decide what your priorities are.

Yep, this is it exactly, and it's the hardest thing to figure out.

Because acoustics are super important, but being able to use the room and, for example, have a spot for a violinist to stand, is another important part... And I had hoped to have space for a few people to sit if I have a music gathering, but the room is a lot smaller than I realized... I think when you stand in that room, it feels larger than it is because of the open doorway.

Anyway, yes, the squareness is an issue as well. At our old house, the room was 11' by 20', with two open doorways at the opposite end from where I positioned the piano. I'm not going to be able to recreate that, so as you say, I need to decide whether I want prioritize the space and making it feel roomy, or the sound.

And if I prioritize the sound, then starting with that angled positioning is probably the to go, to take advantage of that doorway.

But, as you say, if I go with the straight positioning, then taming the sound waves with furnishings may help.. it's hard to say at this point, of course.

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Sorry for offending you about the rug. I got the impression from your post that you yourself were questioning if it would work with the room.

No worries!

I was worried that the piano wouldn't look right on the rug positioned at an angle because of the rug's design, but after seeing the mock-ups I made, I think it's probably ok to have the piano at an angle with all those straight lines.

I need to ask Mr SK of course, he's the one with the good eye for that sort of thing!

I think we need to go and lay out trash bags or something to simulate the piano's footprint (since I don't have a piano floor template).

Now I'm waiting for WTG to come and look at the listing photos and give me a brilliant idea about how to make the piano work in the main living room!

Because I am not coming up with a lot of good ideas...

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But, as you say, if I go with the straight positioning, then taming the sound waves with furnishings may help.. it's hard to say at this point, of course.

No, I'm not saying that, sorry. Furnishings won't help when the soundwaves have nowhere to go.

I know it could turn into an extra expense (moving the piano again later), but I would make the acoustics #1 because playing the piano every day will drive you mad if the sound is disorganized (soundwaves not having space to travel). This room could work if you do a diagonal position directly opposite the open door and as far from the door as is physically possible. The rug under the piano will help. the heavy drapes will help. See how it sounds just like that. Modify as necessary with furniture placement and assess if you need to soften or brighten the sound.

If it doesn't work, then consider a different room. IIRR you have a large den in the walkout basement. That might be a better choice.

cut a floor template out of a roll of butcher paper. this is incredibly useful!

Also you can turn the rug so that it, too, is angled the same as the piano.

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Also you can turn the rug so that it, too, is angled the same as the piano.

Hmm, I feel like that might look odd... back to the mock-ups!

Wonder where I could get 6' butcher paper...

No, I meant the other way around, with the back not against a wall. (Rotate it 90 degrees clockwise)

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I want the piano to not be in the same room as the kitchen. I know people do this... and of course, in our rental, the piano room sort of opens to the kitchen but the oven is back around the corner from where the piano is.... hmmm...

Could you elaborate on why being in the same room as the kitchen is a problem? Are you worried about heat, food grease, or do you just don't want the two functions in the same open space?

I suggested the living room for the piano because you've mentioned in the past that you want to entertain people and have other musicians over. It seemed like that might work better in a larger space rather than the restricted area of the dining room. I see there is a small table with a couple of chairs in the kitchen dining area and assumed that's the route you were going, and that you weren't planning a formal dining space.

eta: I just saw your post about me chiming in with living room ideas...

So here's another radical idea...piano downstairs?

I'm off to consider living room possibilities. I'm sure the piano owners here will come up with something, too! I'm a grand piano placement noob...

But looking at your photos - I’d likely be putting the piano along the back wall where that big couch is. It’s going to sound much better in the big room.

Though we did put our piano in the “dining room” in the Main house - that’s where it fit best. This is what I was thinking, but not sure now after seeing the photos.



I have ours tucked into the corner in our living room - I don’t thing there is less than 34 inches between the keyboard and the wall, and that’s plenty of room (and I’m tall)

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Originally posted by jodi:
But looking at your photos - I’d likely be putting the piano along the back wall where that big couch is.

That was my first thought. Perfect for entertaining and multiple musicians. People could mill around everywhere, and you'd have the acoustic advantage of a lot of space, including the vaulted ceiling.

Any chance there's space for a dining table in that nook with the bay window and built-in bookcase? I mean, if your current table is too big, would something a bit smaller work? And then just use the formal dining room as the den/TV room.

Wow, jodi. I love that painting!!!