The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-02-12
THE PIANO..
Never Put 1t Across
One Corner.
HOW TO DRAPE 1T.
Tapestries and Brocades
Are Good Form.


How to make a piano an ornamental
as we'll as useful article of furniture
has been a serious problem for people
who wish to have the instrument in
their drawing room, for in itself a pi-
Lano is a cumbersome piece of furniture,
and the rule is that any bric-a-brac
placed upon it interfe> es seriously with
the tone thereof. However, pianos are
fecessary-absolutely necssary-and so
all that can be done is to make them
look as attractive as possible,
The upright plane is more generally
used in the ordinary drawing room
than the square or the grand. The
square piano, indeed is very rarely
seen, and the grand piano is limited to
the music room or to a very large
drawing, room. For a grand piano the
finest kinds of Indian embroidery
pieces of rare old tapestry that are laid
on velvet of some color which will
either harmonic or contrast With the
colors and in the decorations of the
room This rule does not apply
to pianos that are made to match the
! furniture in the room or it's wood work.
Large photograph frames do not look
| badly on a grand piano, and a pretty
idea is to have a large three-leaved
frame holding photographs of the great
| composers. 1t is most inappropriate
and in very bad taste to have variety
| of cheap pictures, even though they
| may be in handsome frames.
Very much depends upon the position
! of the piano in the room, and it is real
| ~ very amusing to see at what differ
ent angles people manage to dispose of
| it, for 1t is the exception now to see it
pushed back against the wall. A piano
| should be set we'll out into the ROOM
at right angles, SO that the light from
the windows will fall upon the keys. TIC
| conceal the back of an upright piano
the eastern embroideries again come
| nto play, and tapestry is also used, OF
oddly colored brocades. Often the most
conspicuous thing in the room will be
| This drapery On the top of the piano
! may be placed small articles of brio
a-brac, and an excellent effect is OBJ
aimed by plant, palm-not a large
,ne-or q rubber plant, with some
bright bow, or set in dark Indian-reo
! 7ower pot When the room Is so con
structed that it is impossible to get
| good light from the window without
blocking the room with the piano, i
must be turned SO that only the back is
isible This of course shows thu
| lrapery to great advantage. Another
! lever way is to place it in the corne
| If the room, standing out from thu
wall. and just behind it have higl
| stand with a plant, while near the pi
| ano one may use tall and imposing
amp with a beautiful shade.
A very odd fashion, but one whicl
seems to gain in favor in very man.
New York houses, is to place the pian'
so that the back comes nearly across
the door. and the drapery is the frs
thing which one sees when entering tn
drawing room. Here, again, it is vel
to have plant on the piano. Thu
irapery is, of course, very much NOR
effective when the expensive materials
are used, but a great deal depends upoi
the coloring In figure brocades ant
Ptapestries, there are many effective de
signs to be found in short lengths tina
will drape very well, whereas, the plaii
eolors, pushes and velvets, are not a
all satisfactory. When plain colors ar
| used the heavy silks are better thai
| yelVets and the best colors which cal
be used in rooms, where a color scheme
| S carried out, are the pinks or yellow
| of which there are great many shades
/ Somtimes a piece of old or new tapes
try can be found not large enough il
itself to drape well across the back o
| the piano. In such cases it is best t
! take a piece of velvet or plush OF a darl
| color and applique the brocade on it.
Where the material lies on the top o
the piano 1t should be arranged in sucl
position that it can be easily folded