Grand Piano Placement In The Home

When I realized I had a chance to own my very own grand piano, I was little naïve about the challenges of finding the appropriate place for it in my home. The considerations went way beyond just finding the space for it to fit; I had to make sure it was protected from harmful conditions that exist in many of the places I had thought would be ideal.

My Dilemma

You see, originally envisioned putting it right by my big plate glass window in the living room so that I could look out over the lawn while I was practicing my chops and have it become a natural a centerpiece for musical get-togethers. What I discovered with a little research was exposure to direct sunlight is one of the worst things I could do for my piano. The constantly changing temperatures on both the soundboard and the body mess up the tuning and ultimately damage the instrument. I tried to envision keeping the drapes closed at the right times of day but knew that I’d quickly forget this daily task and wind up doing damage to my beautiful new piano.

Once I realized my ideal placement wasn’t going to work, I started looking for other places where it wouldn’t be exposed to direct sunlight. That’s when I found out that grand pianos should not be situated over or below air conditioning and heating vents or near a fireplace or radiator because they can also create temperature variation that cause the same kind of damage as sunlight. I also can’t put it in a humid room like a basement or against an exterior wall that changes temperature all day.  

The Perfect Solution

The hunt for the ideal place for my new baby grand was eventually narrowed down to a few choice locations in my house with the right conditions. After rearranging furniture in my mind, I saw how I could position it along an interior shared wall in the living room and still have the required 300 square feet of space needed to access it easily. I also happy to report that with just a little creative angling,  I can see the lawn out the plate glass window from my piano bench and my new grand piano is still beautifully positioned for parties and sing-a-longs. So glad I did my homework and found the perfect solution to my dilemma!