Does your piano bench have storage? That's where ours went when I was a kid. The rest was stuffed in a cabinet somewhere. I think you have to consider what's good for the piano when choosing a location. As I recall, not near heat vents, or cold walls and away from sunlight, which all affect the tuning.

Piano bench and we kept a small bookcase right by the piano. Binders/folders can help!

We always just stuck piano in a corner and make sure there's enough room to pull the bench out. Pianos as you know are LOUD so they do not have to be the focal point IMO.

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Piano benches are quickly outgrown as music storage. I have seen music cabinets, but they are likly to be custom pieces on Etsy or Custommade sites. I have two musicians -- one completes his masters this spring, and I have been thinking of getting him a music stand or a cabinet for his music as a graduation gift. Some of the things I have seen may be more than I would consider for a 10 yr old.

I know a lot of sheet music is larger than letter size pages, but file cabiinets are sized to hold those peages (and often legal size pages) in folders. Would a file cabinet not be large enough? There are even file ottomans or storage cubes you can put your own hanging file frame into. A craft storage cart with lots of drawers? Look at art supply and storage options too.

As for the piano, only a grand or baby grand need to be a focal point. They kind of demand it on size alone. An upright can be anywhere, but accoustic pianos are best kept away from extreme light, humidity and temperatures that can effect the wood, but people do what they have to to make them work. Do consider a location where practice is easy but not disruptive. We have a digital piano in the uppstairs gameroom, but for my sons, piano is a practice tool, but not their instrument. One is a trombone player who uses piano primarily in warming up but also in playing around with sounds. The other is a vocalist who also plays saxophone. They both need a piano, but neither "play the piano."

Hmm, what about IKEA Alex??

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/40196241/

Downside is only comes in white and dark grey.

Another possibility is to look for a small armoire from back in the day when everyone had CRT tvs. The shelves in those will hold a lot of weight.

ETA They are out there in less than full height sizes. Mine, which has held all my music from a 40-year career as a musician and compulsive music buyer, is only 48" high.

Thanks all! The bench is full--it's a tiny bench.I was
looking at the old sheet music cabinets instead of something more
practical like file cabinets because I'd like to keep the room a little
bit dressy, but I'll be investigating all these options. I don't have much space but if I got something large enough to hold music and the other kid's horn it might be worth kicking out some other piece of furniture...

What about tucking something like this into the right hand corner, even hung low on the wall - one or two? You could paint to match the wall.

I think these would lay pretty close to the wall, esp in that corner, down low.

I haven't looked at all the fabric options but maybe something would suit you?

Keep in mind that file cabinets come in all sizes and shapes, not just the utilitarian metal ones we all know (and even those can be painted in a variety of ways). I have a wood cube I bought at Home Goods and put a hanging file frame in. Looks nothing like a file cabinet. There are also a lot of different sizes and styles of cabinets made for files that look nothing like the metal ones we grew up with or the lateral cubicle files -- and even those metal ones can be painted and dressed up if you are so inclined (did a short 2 drawer one to look liked aged red leather for my son's room -- took some trial and error but we got there, and then had glass cut to fit the top.)

I spotted one I liked on Joss & Main recently, and they seem to have a lot off options. You might check overstock and Home Goods too.

https://www.jossandmain.com/Jefferson-File-Cabinet-749-61244-HKR7063.html

Another thing you could consider would be magazine files if you have shelves or a table to put them on. Some hide more than others. File totes or chests might be other ways to search for ideas.

laughablemoments - Be still my heart!

http://www.vandaking.com/piano-sheet-music-cabinet-acc-s-7950.html

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Mahogany-Sheet-Music-Cabinet-Versatile-Storage-Use-Re-Purpose-/252708447871

http://www.aldenlee.com/sheetmusic.html

When I was taking lessons, my folks got a magazine rack similar to this one

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/farmhouse-magazine-rack-with-drop-leaf-top-in-espresso/1012906404?skuId=12906404&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_furniture_&product_id=12906404&adpos=1o2&creative=43742645749&device=t&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CPLVnrf929ECFYEYgQodu-kFBg

My dad had one of the antique cabinets to put next to the piano - it was in his formal living room and I think he wanted to keep things formal. I think it was black which matched the piano which was a focal point in the room, but I think it kind of had to be because it was a parlor grand size.

My brother had another cabinet in another room with more music and kept the things he was working on near the piano I believe.

Thank you all! There are so many good options that I feel like I can find something to work regardless of the furniture arrangement we end up with.

I have very limited keyboard ability, but when my mom passed away I told DH her Hammond organ was coming to our house! The thought that it might be chucked in a dumpster broke my heart. We have a wide TV stand on one wall next to the fireplace; we just scooted it over a few inches and slid the organ into the space.

I have a few books in the bench. but the majority of our music (vocal, piano, organ, clarinet, trumpet, saxophone and flute) is in a drawer in an antique desk in our bedroom. I used to store it vertically in a file cabinet, but laying flat in a drawer is much better (though it makes it harder searching through it).

Donna

We have an upright piano in the back of our LR and when our children were younger, we quickly outgrew the piano bench for storage. We then stored the books/sheets in a decorative basket near the piano. They are grown and out of the house now, but they always play piano when they come home.

As far as where to situate the piano, we chose a wall that did not have a radiator and was at the back of our It has worked our very well.

I have a small vintage end table/shelf kind of thing that I stick back in the corner next to the piano bench (we have a grand so the bench is in the corner and the piano faces outward. It is wide enough to hold two stacks of books/music side by side and has 3 or 4 shelves. It gets disorganized as the kids are always pulling things out so I periodically have to sort it. But it is compact, doesn't draw a lot of attention to itself, and still holds a ton of music.

I don't have a pic but it kind of looks like this but with no drawer and a few more shelves -- I think it got it at a yard sale somewhere. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Baker-Banded-Mahogany-Sheraton-Style-1-Drawer-Accent-Table-32-W-x-31-H/122310326203?_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982&_trkparms=aid%3D888007%26algo%3DDISC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D40803%26meid%3Dec4c6de330db4a21959a9ac7e0b37edf%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D2%26sd%3D272530103832

Add'l.... framed sheet music can be really pretty, and add a nice touch if you are lucky enough not to have the piano simply stuck in a corner :). Ours always get wedged in wherever they'll fit!

Renee, I look for old sheet music to frame! Found a song with the name of our street in the title, and I picked up some seasonal/holiday music that I change out during the year. So fun!

Fori, As for the music "library", I bought an old sheet music cabinet from a neighbor. The condition isn't great, but a word of caution: I think they are intended to hold SHEET music, not books. The shallow drawer bottoms are not solid but slatted, and don't feel super strong. It's cool, but not as easy to use unless you are very organized and know what you keep where.

I also have a small metal Bisley 5-drawer unit (from the scratch-and-dent corner at a The Container Store, it's missing the bottom drawer, which leaves an open slot for music) Each drawer has one of those little slots that hold a label, so the jazz goes in one, the video game music printouts in another, etc. and we can find them, and put things away easily.

The books are in two large "boxes" beside the piano: one is a sturdy basket, the other used to be a deep kitchen drawer. One sits on the floor under a small table, the basket sits on too of the table, which is just the right size to hold them. The music stands upright and it's easy to flip through. The whole set-up is not that attractive lol!

My friend and here husband are both musicians, and they installed cabinetry in the living room for the music. Shelves close together to hold loose paper flat, and shelves spaced for books and binders, as well drawers for metronomes, pens and pencils, instrument tools, etc. The shelves are also attractively labeled to suit their needs; I think it's a removable/movable label.

Our piano came after we'd lived here for a couple of years, it is in a corner but it is a great spot! In this living room, only a buffet or console type piece of furniture would work, because it's where you enter the LR from the foyer, so our console piano is perfect.

My sister had a kid pianist and a small piano - they had a bench with cubbyholes (often seen in mud rooms) sized for those upright plastic magazine holders. His music was filed in them if he was actively working on it. The rest of it was in his room, on the bookcase, in the same holders.

He could grab an entire holder and take to the piano.

Thanks for the additional guidance! I'm beginning to think I should start with a basket for each kid or a magazine rack should be enough. Or the wall pocket things. Then I need to get back to my ongoing quest for a very large bookcase and add a few more requirements to it. (As long as I'm looking for furniture that doesn't exist, I might as well make it perfect!)

(We don't have a lot of music at this point--most of what isn't being used is in a bookcase a few rooms over. But what IS being practiced just spreads around!)

Our den has become my husband's music room and the piano dictates the furniture placement. We actually have only one chair in the room (it functions like a hallway to living room). Fortunately there is a narrow closet for his large collection of sheet music. The previous upright piano was on the only solid wall and more furniture was possible. This is his baby:

A closet would be about as good as it gets! :)