redrabbit I’m still debating where to put sittings tbh haha. I used to have sittings around the upper right corner but am thinking about moving the couch to another room, so the piano room can look more spacious. Another option is to get a smaller couch.

I think the question here is how you want to use the room. Will you have music parties where people come and you play for them and they play for you? My piano space isn’t very roomy, but I have three chairs around the piano because I want to have music parties. And the piano sort of opens up toward the living room, where I have a vaulted ceiling. My tuner told me that the unevenness of the ceiling really helps the sound, and even though the piano room and living room aren’t a]exactly an open space, the piano sounds amazing from the living room. (It sounds fine in the piano room, but even better if you’re sitting in the living room).

Anyway, back to your placement, you want the piano to open up toward more space, not less. Which is why photos #2 and #4 are the worst choices acoustically, because the piano sound has no where to go. Let me see if I still have photos of the floor plans I considered in my old house…

      @redrabbit fiund them!
      This first photo was the placement I had when I bought my piano.

      After my first piano party, I realized that it had me sitting with my back to people, which I really disliked. Back then I regularly played with a violinist and with her there, and a few people and chairs, the layout just wasn’t working. I actually paid the piano movers to come back and relocate the piano to this layout. It was the best money I’ve ever spent! I was only motivated by the logistics of it, and the aesthetics of who it looked, and by wanting to not have my back to people. But after the piano was moved, it was like it was a totally different instrument acoustically. The sound filled the room in the most delightful way! And the bass really came alive. And it looked better too. And wa such nicers for piano gatherings.

      In my case, with the second layout, not only did the piano open up toward the full length of the room, but also, at the opposite end of the piano were two doorways (without doors, so the space was always open). (I don’t count the front door, that was always closed). Those two doorways allowed the sound to roll out and not get trapped anywhere, giving the fullness and richness of the piano’s acoustics room to breath.

        @redrabbit ok one more post. The above floor plans are from our old house, we have since moved and here’s the floor plan I settled on:

        My piano room is much smaller than yours (it’s supposed to be a dining room) but it works because it opens out. That’s what that dotted line is, the open space, which feels bigger than it looks in the picture here).

        Anyway keep us posted on the placement you decide!

        ShiroKuro Anyway, back to your placement, you want the piano to open up toward more space, not less. Which is why photos #2 and #4 are the worst choices acoustically, because the piano sound has no where to go. Let me see if I still have photos of the floor plans I considered in my old house

        I don't see how #2 would be a problem acoustically since the lid opens out into the room. Number 4 might be a problem if you plan to play with the lid open but I think an awful lot of people don't raise the lid on their grands and just keep the fly lid folded back.
        There are basically two considerations... How the piano looks aesthetically in the room and how it sounds in the different positions. It should be very easy to try the piano out In all four possible positions. So even if you like the first position you choose, it might make sense to try the others out because they might be even better.

            With regard to a rug, you could first take a blanket and fold it up to roughly the size of a rug that you would want, and you may be able to get an idea of the effect on the sound it might have.
            Just one thing: if the rug is going to be positioned under the pedals, you want to make sure it is also being held by at least one or two of the piano legs as well.

              pianoloverus I don't see how #2 would be a problem acoustically since the lid opens out into the room.

              My point with #2 is that it has the piano opening to the shortest distance. IOW the distance from the piano to the wall (bottom of the photo) is much shorter in this arrangement. If that door is open, that gives the sound somewhere to go but if not, the sound bumps into the wall much sooner than it would in placement number three.

              And as you can see, placement #2 is very similar to the placement I had with my first piano, so I’m speaking from experience, from what I literally heard with my own ears. And the difference I heard when the piano was repositioned was amazing beyond words.

              Oh and my piano is 5’8”, so also similar to @redrabbit ’s.

                  ShiroKuro My point with #2 is that it has the piano opening to the shortest distance. IOW the distance from the piano to the wall (bottom of the photo) is much shorter in this arrangement. If that door is open, that gives the sound somewhere to go but if not, the sound bumps into the wall much sooner than it would in placement number three.

                  Agreed. I have zero experience with acoustic piano, but I do have some with setting up home audio. The points on the wall that gives sound the shortest route to reflect back to the listener/player are called first reflection point. They are the first place that need treatment (diffraction or absorption). The reason is these reflected sound arrives so soon that our brain interpret them not as echo but as part of the original sound, and that mixing with sound that arrives directly (and a little early) reduces clarity. If the plano lid opens parallel to the side wall that's the closest and the sound is muddy, then this might be why.

                      iternabe If the plano lid opens parallel to the side wall that's the closest and the sound is muddy, then this might be why.

                      With my old placement, I didn’t experience it as muddy so much.. but after moving it, the sound was so much richer and alive, I think before moving the effect was a flattening, dulling of the sound.

                      Wait, maybe that’s what muddy means 😅

                        pseudonym58 With regard to a rug, you could first take a blanket and fold it up to roughly the size of a rug that you would want, and you may be able to get an idea of the effect on the sound it might have.
                        Just one thing: if the rug is going to be positioned under the pedals, you want to make sure it is also being held by at least one or two of the piano legs as well.

                        Testing with a blanket is a good idea. Even if the piano sounds OK without a rug or blanket it might sound better if you used one and this can only be determined by testing it both ways. Based on my experience it's not necessary to have any leg on top of the rug to keep the rug in place which I assume is your idea. This might be true if the rug is very thin and the floor is wood. In my case, the rug underneath the piano is on top of wall to wall carpeting and doesn't move at all even though the rug goes underneath the pedals and even beyond the front edge of the keyboard..

                          ShiroKuro My point with #2 is that it has the piano opening to the shortest distance. IOW the distance from the piano to the wall (bottom of the photo) is much shorter in this arrangement. If that door is open, that gives the sound somewhere to go but if not, the sound bumps into the wall much sooner than it would in placement number three.
                          My piano placement for a 7 foot piano is just like number two and there is no problem.

                          My piano placement for 7 foot piano is just like number two and there is no problem.
                          There are so many variables including personal preference involved in the piano placement I think trying out the different placements is the best idea. Even if one likes the initial placement the only way to know if it's the best one is to try the other placements. Because the OP's piano is reasonably small and on a wood floor moving it around to the four different placements should be easy and safe. Things would be very different if the piano was bigger and on wall to wall carpeting.

                            redrabbit yes the sound will go out and fill the room at that angle.

                              Thank y‘all for the suggestions!! Really appreciate everyone helping me brainstorm the best option there 🙂 I will try different options if that’s okay with movers and share which one I go for, now I just can’t wait for the delivery haha.

                              With such supportive forum I feel even more motivated to pick up piano again (I haven’t played for over 10 years)

                              ShiroKuro thanks for sharing the pictures and experience on different placements, great reference for me.

                              Regarding music party, I may invite friends to play at home later, very good point on not having the back facing audience. I also feel more comfortable when I can be aware of the surroundings.

                                  @redrabbit glad this thread has been helpful! This is a pretty great forum 🙂 once your piano comes, you can visit the sub-forums here, Pianist Zone and Learners Lounge 🙂

                                  I prefer option 3.

                                  I really dislike the feeling of having my back to the room, and the way a piano sounds with its tail in a corner. My piano (5’8”) is set so that my bench is in the corner, and I face the room. I did find that it sounded best when the piano was at an angle. And for me, the rug made a massive difference, but I have a lot of hard surfaces in the room.

                                  Sound matters most, but feng shui matters too. Make sure you set things up so that you like where you sit, and you’ll enjoy your practice more. If you were not playing the piano, where do you enjoy sitting in the room? Put your bench there.

                                  ShiroKuro nicers for piano gatherings.

                                  This layout looks great. The piano will open up to the entire space and is also away from the front door.

                                      cheeeeee This layout looks great. The piano will open up to the entire space and is also away from the front door.

                                      Thank you! Yes, this placement turned out to be really, really nice! If the room had been a little bit larger, I might have concerned putting the piano at an angle, but for this room in the size that it was, I think this was the best placement that walked a line between maximizing acoustics as well as maximizing space.

                                      We have since sold that house and moved to another state, but it was a wonderful piano space while we were there! 🙂

                                        Late to the party here, #3.
                                        Since no one has mentioned it, how big is the mirror? If it is any size at all, it's going to be a very hard reflective surface and may impact the sound you experience. Since you say the mirror has to stay, you might consider drapes or something of sort--open when using the room as a gym, closed when the piano is in use.

                                          Stub

                                          Yes the mirror is going to be a problem… If I end up going with 3 I will definitely install something to cover it, because half of the wall is floor length mirror.

                                          I’m actually considering another option besides the listed ones:

                                          Because this one opens up to the 71” wall(which is an opening to a different room and stairs with higher ceilings), also another room next to the mirror, it has the potential. This options takes more space, which is not ideal, but I will try it out.