ShiroKuro But, you might find that a smaller grand works better, for example, in terms of having seating and other functional spaces in addition to the piano…
The large room is much larger than it looks because of cell phone camera distortion. I wish I had a shot of the template from the far end of the room, but if you compare the photos, hopefully you can extrapolate. My brother-in-law's Steinway D is in an atrium that isn't larger in square footage than this room, it's just that mine is narrow and long rather than square.
The trouble is the soft box and umbrella lighting in my art studio takes up a huge amount of space when deployed around the photography backdrop, especially when I'm photographing a person, and I need room to walk around and adjust props while working. I hate feeling like I'm climbing all over a jungle gym while working. This is exactly why I was wanting the piano in the front room. Just the box lights create a ridiculous hassle when I record a video at the upright in the smaller room.
But I'm sure I could make either room work. The most pressing ambiguity is about when to buy a grand piano. To my ears, my upright sounds very good. The reason I would want a grand would be better sound and the longer keystick length for better touch and best dynamic possibilities. My piano doesn't have very much dynamic range, but it will support my journey for many more years. I could get a grand now, but it would mostly be for enjoyment, which isn't nothing, but maybe not enough incentive to make such a big change.
About the tack piano, I love ragtime, and so does my husband, so I'm talking about a jangly honky tonk piano sound. Here's a video where someone installed their own tack rail into a piano.
