How to Decorate the Wall Behind a Grand Piano

Scale

• A piece as large as a grand piano is going to make many of the room’s other components seem insignificant unless you consider scale. But not everything can be jumbo, or the room will appear like a herd of elephants trying to squeeze into a hot tub. To appease its size, place a picture that's almost as wide as the piano on the wall behind it -- or a group of smaller pictures that, grouped together, provide the idea of largeness. A single, smallish piece of art would appear dwarfed by such a large object. Across the room, offset the piano and art with a hefty bookcase or other substantial furniture piece and additional art, so that the room doesn’t appear lopsided or heavier on the either end.

Subject Matter

• Even a baby grand piano has dominating presence, so why not work it into the decor without apology. Look to artistic subject matter with a musical bent. Align at eye level or group together a collection of vintage string or wind instruments. Art featuring ragtime, jazz or rock bands offer visual melody to the space. If you have an adventurous sense of style, consider painting the wall in vertical black and ivory stripes resembling oversized piano keys.

Mirror

• When you place a large mirror on the wall behind a piano, it not only reflects light and imagery, but it also makes the room appear larger. And in a small space with such a focal key element, exaggerated square footage helps to downplay the piano's size. Consider a wall of mirrors, if the abundance of hard surfaces won’t distort the instrument’s sound quality.

Sound Quality

• As home piano-players likely know, sound quality differs based on the hard and soft surroundings. Although tile or hardwood is the preferred medium underfoot, upholstered seating and other sound-absorbing fabrics throughout the room are instrumental to a piano’s sound. It’s a game of trial and error, however, since noise-controlling factors such as the room’s square footage and ceiling height are different in most situations. If you have to place the piano near a wall with a window, consider using heavy draperies with heat and light-reflective lining that help control vibration and reduce sun and humidity damage to the instrument. For a windowless wall, experiment by hanging sound-absorbing tapestries or decorative wood elements.