My Dream for a Built-in Piano

Traditional Exterior design by Burlington Architect Smith & Vansant Architects PC

I've been thinking about this wonderful dilemma I have--which is that I'm blessed to have two pianos in my life! I really am a lucky girl. One is a late 19th century Steinway baby grand that my parents bought for me when I started to become serious about the piano, around age 10 I'd say. A few months ago we had it restored, so it's feeling and sounding better than ever. We may even go one step farther and send it to the Steinway factory in New York to have them perform their own Steinway-certified surgery on it, which would turn it into an essentially brand new instrument worth double what it's worth now.

My second piano is also a Steinway and it's a 1936 upright, with ivory keys, and it has an art deco look to it that I love. I bought this instrument right after graduating from college and before moving into my tiny New York City apartment that I lived in through grad school. You should have seen that piano going up three flights of narrow pre-war apartment stairs, lifted over the banisters like a feather by four very strong piano movers. This piano was a blessing to me (though I can't say it was always a blessing for the neighbors!) as I made my way through grad school, often practicing on it 4-5 hours a day on the days I was practicing at home instead of at school.

So now, I have these two pianos, my loyal friends. I don't have them both with me right now, but my husband and I are planning to buy a house soon and when we have the room, I'll have them both. The baby grand will be the main instrument I practice and teach on, and I hope to have a room that is devoted to the piano and my books, a little music studio. But the other piano is dear to me too and is a special and beautiful instrument, and it has that lovely art deco look to it that makes it a piece of art in and of itself.

I saw the above photo on Houzz a few weeks ago and it inspired me. I'm thinking it would be so lovely to embed our upright piano into a little nook like this, perhaps nestled between two built-in bookshelves. The way this piano is built right into the home suggests that it is a piece of art, a permanent fixture, but it is still play-able and use-able. I just love this idea and hope that our future home has a little perfect spot in it, just for this.