The One with the Official Music Studio

Friday afternoon brought a flurry of activity to our house. After having a super relaxing morning and afternoon, my brain warped into super-productive-ultra-creative-let's-get-stuff-done mode. I'm sure my husband could have done without said mood, but he lovingly obliged. 

We had been dreaming about rearranging our living room, moving the piano, and making a more usable space out of our front "bedroom." I honestly wasn't sure this was ever actually going to happen. It would be a lot of work. Plus, who knew if the piano would even fit through the doorway or be too big for the space.

But I persevered. I found my trusty measuring tape and began the process of "staging." I found that the piano would fit through the doorway--by barely an inch--and it would be the perfect size for the wall in the front room. Awesome. 

Now I had to tackle the other front-room-issues. This room had become a dumping ground for all things miscellaneous since our move. There was a large 80s style stereo system (complete with two 4-foot speakers), a stationary exercise bike, and a dresser that was functioning as my linen closet. Hmm. Think, Mel, think. 

I did some more measuring and discovered that the dresser would just barely (slash perfectly) fit into the space at the foot of the twin bed in the spare room upstairs. I immediately unloaded the drawers and transported them up to the second floor. It was at this point that I approached Kevin for help. 

I said, "I have a small job I would like your help with, and a big job that I hope you're willing to help with." He had no clue what he was getting himself into, but he jumped up ready to help. I was impressed. Brownie points awarded, good sir. 

The two of us hauled the dresser up our steep flight of stairs and managed to work up a bit of a sweat. It was harder than I thought it would be. Before taking the time to make the dresser feel at home in its new room, I hustled back downstairs to work with my husband before he decided he was done. :) 

We weren't sure it was good idea to move the piano just the two of us, but we decided to give it a go. We carefully rolled it over to the front room, being careful to support the front legs. As we lined it up in the doorway, we realized how crooked our house really is. At the bottom of the door, there was at least an inch of space between the frame and the piano. At the top of the door, the piano was a quarter inch too wide. We needed one of us to lift and one of us to tilt the piano forward, while still supporting those front legs, in order to fanangle the instrument through the terribly-designed door. 

I climbed over the piano and lifted the back half while Kevin maneuvered the end. It worked! We were in! 

I finished the necessary wood-floor-dusting process and Kevin left me to "nest." I spent the next 3 hours worked my tail off. I moved the sound system to the basement, the stationary bike to the kitchen. (Yeah, it looks kinda weird, but it doesn't take up needed space, so that's where it's staying.) I hung up a full length mirror in the upstairs bedroom and made the dresser feel "at home." I went to town with my drill, hanging up curtains in that bedroom and in the new music studio. I used a cute cloth shower curtain and rod to make a "door" for the upstairs bedroom closet. 

My new music studio was coming together. With drapes hung, floor swept, space cleared, guitars displayed, piano in place, music posters hung, magazines laid, kid basket set, it was officially complete. And I am IN LOVE with this space! There are so many benefits to this arrangement. 

1) I have a music studio. 

2) Students and parents will feel like they are in a piano studio rather than in someone's living room. 

3) Kevin won't have to tip toe around his house during lesson times (nor walk through a lesson to get to the bathroom.) 

4) The two of us have our instruments side by side for jam sessions. Maybe he'll play his guitar(s) more frequently now.

5) I finally found the perfect space to hang my music posters. They weren't quite "living room" appropriate, but they're perfect for this space! 

6) I have an empty wall in the living room to fill with a new loveseat or chairs--more seating in our living room!

7) The futon in the music studio is perfect for waiting parents/siblings and can still be opened into a bed for guests.

8) I have space to lay out reading material for those waiting parents as well as display a basket of fun activities for patient siblings. 

It's perfect!!

Next on our list is finding that perfect loveseat or chairs for the living room, and procuring an official "teaching chair" (nothing fancy--old dining room chair would work) for the music studio.  

If you're local and know of anyone interested in lessons, send them my way! 

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