Paint it girl!!!

{PS} To anyone out there on the fence, sign up for JDC monlthy. I’m working on my September schedule this weekend {stuck indoors, hurricane is coming} and it looks so pretty. I love all of the goodies you get and they are easy peasy to print out. So go ahead and treat yourself today! I promise I am not a paid spokesperson for JDC

Oh, I love that painted piano, but I don’t know that you should paint yours. It looks like it’s in pretty good shape. Tough call!

And I seriously love the black and white stripes!!

As a music teacher and piano player, I can’t help but weigh in on this subject. I have to admit that the mustard piano is gorgeous…but then again, so is the wood of your piano right now. The piano I played as a kid was an heirloom piece, as is the piano that we will inherit someday from my mother-in-law: a beautiful ebony color with the real (old-school) ivory keys. I’m SO glad she didn’t paint it avocado green in the 70′s! I’d say, get your painting fix on an awesome side-table, or get a bright-colored lamp to top the piano, or make a piano bench cover in a crazy fabric, and let the beauty of the wood stay intact (because it really is a beautiful shade)…for now and for future generations who might play it. Just my two cents.

That is funny you were thinking about a chalkboard there b/c I am thinking about putting beadboard wainscoating in my computer room/office the way you have it in your kitchen and I was thinking “I should put a big black board like the one on that blog” then I went and looked at your blog and realized it was a map. Good idea!

Totally paint it yellow! I saw your pinterest pin, and loved the idea. It makes it seem even more special.

ooooh. i am thinking navy lacquer on your piano!
life is short. paint a piano.
{for context: I was an opera major, so you can bet i appreciate a good piano!}

ok sooo funny! I just did a post yesterday on designer Liz Caan- and that laundry room is one of her designs. http://www.amandacarolathome.com/2011/08/coffee-with.html
And that yellow painted piano belongs to my dear friend Bridget – her blog is: http://bakeat350.blogspot.com/ I was just over at her house this morning and took some pics of her piano- its even more beautiful in person.
Have a Happy Saturday!!

I totally agree on painting it….also agreeing on the “life is short” thinking. A bright color would look awesome under your bird collage and would be very eclectic! Just the right amount of pizzaz!

Throwing in another musician’s opinion…I think painting the piano largely depends on the quality of the instrument and what it is used for. Painting a piano can be quit an undertaking and it might also effect the tone of the instrument.

I say paint the piano!! It would be so fun!

P.S. I am loving my JDC monthly subscription! So fun! The monthly menu is my favorite!

As long as it isn’t a really special piano, I think it would be beautiful painted. I love the idea. The only thing I would say, which I am sure you have already thought of is…What happens when you no longer like that color of yellow? Would you paint it again? I change things up in my home so much that I sometimes get stuck on painting distinctive colors in fear that I will want to change it too soon after I finish my project. But if you really love it, do it. How fun to have a yellow piano!

Paint the piano. And yes to a chalk board in the kitchen, I love that idea. I love the bird collage–how are those images stuck to the wall?

Paint your piano!!! I pinned that same pic this past week as well and love it. It would work perfectly in your music nook and you could then loose the birds and replace with musical note sheets in black frames.

i can’t believe i’m saying this because i’d paint pretty much anything… but i wouldn’t paint it. i’d add ruffles to the bench or something that would make it a bit more interesting. pianos are one of those items that just feel right when they are natural. i look forward to see what you end up doing though! best of luck deciding!

ashley

Warm Saturday greetings to you, too!!!
Oh my…that mud room is fabulous. No doubt yours is on the way to super fab too!
I too have admired that black board since I first discovered it last year. I think your idea of creating one for your home is a great idea…and I love the ways you plan to use it. Hiding His word in their hearts.
The piano. No. No. No. We all don’t buy ‘new’ pianos again, even as styles change…unless our kids are so super we get a baby grand. Yours looks pretty nice. Besides…it’s a big piece of furniture that I really don’t want to make the centerpiece of my home. I’d say have fun on the wall instead….unless maybe you paint it black.
Hope the rest of your day is delightful.

I am generally a fan of painted furniture, but I think you should leave the piano as is. It is a beautiful piano!

I think the wall behind your piano (and possibly the adjoining wall, I can’t see the whole layout) would be great as a “backdrop” – stenciled, wallpapered or otherwise some graphic detail to make that alcove really stand out. I’m looking forawrd to seeing what you decide!

Paint it! Love to see it painted a pretty color. What about a pretty blue or a rich red? I would love to see a collage of music hung above or a mirror perhaps!
pve

You should definitely paint the piano! I will never forget a piano that one of my college professor’s wife had actually covered in music sheets. It was to die for – not destructive.

Emily! I have the exact piano!! I, too, have struggled with “paint it/leave it!” I am using you as a guinea pig to see what you opt for! Ha! I have never even painted a piece of furniture, let alone vintage or antique that I own….could be the start of something big.

paint it, have you ever seen the painted piano in the growing up garnet hill catalog (it is just a prop) ? i have been looking endlessly for a piano of the same style to do this to!!! it has a scandinavian stencil on it!!!! love it!

I have a very similiar piano and I’m hoping to paint it soon. I pinned that same pin and also I think I pinned a turquoise piano as well. Enjoy your Saturday!

Paint it!!!!!

Hi! I’m a regular reader but first time commenter (sorry about that!). Your blog is one of my very favorites! I bought a cheap piano on craigslist, painted it black, and distressed it a bit. I love how it turn out, and now it feels uniquely personal to me. Here are a couple links: http://ryan-erica.blogspot.com/2010/10/getting-crafty.html (that one also happens to feature your ruffle wreath – thanks!) and http://ryan-erica.blogspot.com/2010/09/im-proud-new-owner.html

Good luck!

I say NO to the paint. I love the raw, beautiful, natural look to wooden pianos. I am actually in the market for one, and I have to say, I love pretty wood. I was always told that its a crime to paint pretty wood…I would consider your piano pretty! I would go with adding a skirt or changing something else up, the worst would be to paint it and then be upset with the outcome, because there is NO going back at that point. Just my 2 cents, its your home so do as you please. I am sure whatever you do will be beautiful!

I’m a bit too chicken to paint a piano (especially one with a really nice finish)… but here’s a suggestion. Create a looooong scarf for the top — one that hangs almost to the floor — in whatever color you’re thinking of painting it. If you’re an experienced seamstress, you could even make a piano slipcover that would cover the area behind the music stand (and, hey, why not make a cover for that, as well?). A coordinating cushion for the bench would be nice, too. If you choose a color that blends with your bird collage, you might enjoy living with that wall a little while longer, too. Maybe even add a few pops of your cover color to the wall in some way…

Do you have some other lamps you could switch out? I’m betting you do, and that would change the look up, as well.

All of this just seems to allow you to make a little less commitment and also not have to deal with the wall under that bird collage just yet…

I have a 1900 grand piano that I would never paint. I was aghast when my neighbor said she was painting her upright. It turned out fabulous!! Life is short paint the piano. I think I will go play my piano!!!

NO paint! I will never forget my early years of teaching (1988) and the avocado green piano in my classroom! I was always trying to downplay the color by covering it with things! Pianos have a l-o-n-g shelf (key??) life so I would keep it natural!

DON’T PAINT IT! We inherited one that someone tried to paint and I HATE that someone did that! It wasn’t done professionally so there is all sorts of paint in places it shouldn’t be. And there is all sorts of chipping going on in hard to paint areas. And in the end, the painting really just makes the piano look old and dated when it really doesn’t have to be.

If you HAVE to paint it (shudder!) get a professional to do it. There are just to many cracks, nooks, and crannies in a piano that make it really hard to do it right by yourself.

PAINT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stain it and high gloss it!

oh yeah, paint it!

Oh yes, please paint it!

Emily

Paint it! Add the skirt too! I do agree with the comment about whether or not the piano is a heirloom, but only you can decide that. Navy and black are good–one of my favorite stores in Kansas City, KS has a black and navy room–I was surprised how much I like it. If anyone can make it look good, you can! Can’t wait to hear what you decide.

Just weighing in on the painted piano decision. My husband is a classically trained pianist and teaches lessons as well. He told the me if you paint it, it can change the acoustical factor some. It may not sound the same. However, my two cents is that if no one in your family plays and it’s just sitting around I wouldn’t mind a painted piano myself (oh how my husband would kill me). Looking forward to what you come up with for it! Glad your Saturday morning was a nice one

Don’t paint it. I’m all about crazy colors and re-doing things…seriously….like, my friends make fun of me for it. But that piano is gorgeous. it really is. The color is perfect. If it were in rough shape or a lighter oak-ish color, I’d say go for it, but oh…it’s lovely as-is. I love the dress-up-the-bench ideas, though.

Love your blog girl! I say paint the piano… I think I would of I had one. I like your bird wall. Maybe try some lamps with cleaner lines? I really like those lamps, dont get me wrong!!!…. Just maybe a little busy for that busy background? I really enjoy all your ideas, even still in the idea stage. My two year old, Lyla, is climbing aalllll over me, sorry for any typos

I’ve been considering painting our piano also… Or distressing. I say go for it! Then, above piano create a huge decoupaged canvas covered in antique sheet music…then print black typeset of your favorite song lyrics and affix to canvas.

Hi Emily,
I’m in the don’t paint it camp, and I paint most everything! I’d recover the cushion and maybe paint the space in some vibrant version of your fabulous faux wallpaper. If painting decreases the value or musical integrity, my vote is no. A little wood is a classic, constant grounding element. Styles change seasonally in lampshades, color palettes, accessories, etc. Pianos are kind of exempt from fashion. That’s my 2 cents worth!
-Revi

I have thought about painting a piano from craigs list – I have found a few on there for free or cheap – it may be a good way to test if you like it to paint a different one – I would want one just for decor, not for use, so one of the free non- working ones from CL would work well

I think a vibrant chartreuse green would be fabulous on your lovely piano. x

i painted my piano this summer. my husband thought i was nuts.
it looked almost identical to yours. now its a creamy, distressed white…never would be brave enough to go for that canary yellow, but i am wishing i had gone a pale aqua or pale blue, the color of my hydrangeas. at any rate, i like it so much better. good luck. cant wait to see what you do.

JDC Monthly: you are a genius!!

These rooms are so beautiful. Thanks for the inspiration!

Oh, and you should sell the bird collage on Etsy if you’re tired of it in your own space!

I suppose it all comes down to taste! I have a beautiful oak upright piano, that I would never consider painting, because I love wood. If you’re not a huge fan of the “wood” look, then I say, go for it!! Though I would maybe consult a piano store or tuner and ask for the best way to go about it, so it has the least impact on the acoustics.

love the piano collage too! I’d SO paint it :O)

I kinda hate when really-pretty carved wood is painted over. But I gotta say I’m gonna strongly vote FOR the paint job on your piano! I bold color or even a nice strong Grey I think would look awesome there in that nook it’s in!
And I too have been looking into making ornate frames into fun corkboards, etc. But a chalkboard is just as good an idea, too.
Also…yes, cartoons today are awful. Our old 80/early 90s Saturday mornings were way cooler. I blame the arrival of “Ren & Stimpy” as the beginning of the downfall.
Happy rest of your Weekend

You have to see Mrs. Pennington’s piano! Here is the link…http://thepenningtonpoint.com/2010/06/the-painted-piano/

I really would like to paint our piano but my dad wouldn’t let me, he REALLY likes the dark color.

I really like the mustard color on the piano you showed. I love playing the piano and I can’t help imagine how fun it would be to practice on a painted piano!!

I hop this helps!
Many Blessings!
~Kristiana

Emily, adore you and your blog….fabulous aesthetic : ))) Could you please tell me where the first two images are from (the striped mudroom and the Christmas mantle)….both so very lovely. Thank you!! Oh, and btw, the piano is beautiful as is. Would NOT paint the whole thing, but if you want to punch things up a bit without fully committing to painting the entire piano, you could paint the bench and paint, or stencil the horizontal piece that has the knobs on it and pulls out to close the piano, and/or also paint or stencil the panel where the sheet music rests. Haha you can tell I do not know much about piano terms! Anyway, that would give you the best of both “worlds” : ))) I think it would look very charming and European.

Don’t paint the piano!!! My grandmother fell in love with the color olive in the 70′s and painted her piano a wonderful shade of canned peas…..If you plan to hand the piano down to one of your children think of the money they will have to spend to have it refinished….my dad recently did this.

Don’t get me wrong, I dig the yellow piano, but I think when it comes to instruments it’s good to just keep it old school.