The client was planning to move into the first floor unit of a row house he owned. After developing an initial design that took down a couple of walls to create a space with decent acoustics that could also accommodate informal recitals, we asked sound engineers from Acentech to review our plan. After assuring us that it would result in reasonably good sound quality, they noted that the ideal space would have higher ceilings and be more like a cube. Within minutes of leaving the meeting, we got a call from the client. “How can we raise the ceiling and make the space a cube?” he asked.
All Projects Cambridge, MA
A Grand Statement
Bathrooms
Interiors
Kitchens
Whole House
This project revolved around a slightly unusual request: the client, an amateur pianist, wanted to create a music room for a piano he was planning to purchase. Although the project would also include a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living space, the piano was the priority.
Jump to GalleryWith that new mandate, designer Josy Raycroft shifted gears.
Thus, the project turned from a straightforward modification of the first floor into a reimagining of the second and third floors, with the client’s new Steinway D as the focal point.
After creating an ideal space for the piano, Josy moved on to more mundane needs, locating the bathroom towards the middle of the second floor where it would be convenient to all the spaces, and placing the kitchen towards the back. The remainder of the third floor became bedroom and office space open to the music room below.
Products and finishes coordinator Karin Mahdavi helped the client select subtle, understated finishes to aesthetically support the piano room. The result is living spaces that flow seamlessly into the piano space, creating a coherent whole out of the different parts, kind of like a Schubert piano sonata.