If you’re like me and find musical instruments cathartic, there’s nothing quite like having an upright piano in your home. Whether you write music or play special pieces for family gatherings, having piano music fill your home is a gift to the player and the listener (well, as long as the piano player knows what they’re doing). While it’s a delightful form of therapy, a piano also takes up a fair amount of space and can be an eyesore if it’s randomly placed against a blank wall. However, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Beyond providing music, your piano can also serve as a stunning part of your décor. If you decorate an upright piano, it’s amazing how it can transform from a lone instrument into a work of art. Here’s how you can seamlessly integrate your piano into your home’s décor:
1. Place Wall Art Above the Piano
Before you start on the actual piano itself, take a look at the wall behind it. If it’s a blank canvas, this is the perfect opportunity to place decorative shelves, framed print, or other forms of wall art to enhance the piano space.
This particular piano is placed against a smaller wall, so two framed prints bring some color to the wall without overcrowding it. Since this home has more of a traditional design style, colors such as burgundy, forest green, mustard yellow, cream, and gold complement the mahogany-colored piano and other surrounding furniture.
After hanging the wall art, it’s time to learn how to decorate a piano top.
2. Place Décor Pieces with Solid Structures on the Middle of the Piano Top
When creating piano decoration ideas, it’s usually best to start in the center and work your way outward in order to maintain balance. While the pieces don’t have to be symmetrical on each side, you want to make sure that the heights are balanced (for example, you don’t want to place a bunch of tall items on the left side and a bunch of short items on the right). In addition, be sure to limit the number of décor pieces to avoid a cluttered look. Usually five to seven décor pieces are plenty.
As mentioned before, this home’s design style has a traditional look, so a mahogany wooden clock adds a nice touch to the piano without becoming the center of attention. In order to contrast the traditional décor, it’s nice to incorporate one or two modern pieces to provide an unexpected, yet sophisticated look. Since the piano décor pieces in the center and on both ends are going to be traditional, a touch of modern art can be sandwiched in between and still blend with the rest of the décor.
These gold metal pieces provide a pop of contemporary art with the clean lines, but still match the gold trim on the clock.
3. Place a Floral Décor Piece on the Left Side of the Piano Top
In order to add some height and fullness on each end, a flower pot with hydrangeas or other types of foliage can provide a beautiful contrast to the straight lines of the clock and the metal art. The pop of color and the curves of the vase and floral buds provide the perfect balance.
Decorating with silk plants and flowers is a wonderful way to bring a little bit of nature into your home without having to acquire a green thumb. Since this piano doesn’t get direct sunlight, silk flowers are the perfect choice.
4. Place Tall Candles and a Small Sculpture on The Right Side Of The Piano
As mentioned earlier, when you decorate the top of a piano, you want to maintain balance when creating visual interest, so it’s important to contrast straight lines with curves, color with neutral tones, and wide items with slimmer items. On the right side of the piano, two slim candle sticks add a touch of elegance, however, they don’t take up a lot of room and need another piece to contrast the straight lines.
A wooden or metal sculpture softens up the surrounding hard lines and creates the same amount of fullness as the left side of the piano, but with different décor pieces. Once you’ve placed those items, your piano top work of art is complete. It’s amazing what some wall art and a few thoughtfully chosen décor pieces can do!
Now you can play your favorite music in a warm, inviting space or just stare proudly at the nice functional design piece you've curated.
