LOL, just checked, my seat at the dining table is 14 steps from the middle of the kitchen. So I get a tiny bit of exercise every time I get more food. It’s the furthest seat but the one with the best views.
Our son’s Yamaha Clavinova keyboard is the same as the listed size here and it’s tucked into the guest room. I dithered quite a bit about whether to move it from Illinois to California and brought it in the end because a house isn’t cultured without a piano . I once could play and took a beginning class after moving here just to get my hand back in to make me glad I brought it.
Our son has a keyboard also…it’s in the bedroom at his townhouse. Really, he never plays it except for his own enjoyment. @Hoggirl thats a possibility!
@Hoggirl, remember to think about lighting when deciding where to put furniture. You’d probably want some kind of celling fixture(s) over a dining area. In some townhouses/condos, that predetermines where the table can go.
More info. The only windows on the ground floor are in the seating/TV area that is designated in the stock photo in my first post.
I’ve included a couple of photos of the space. I blacked out anything potentially identifiable in the windows. The last one is inspo for a seating area in what the stock drawing shows as a dining area. Except I would put the piano/keyboard where the bar/wine storage is in that inspo pic.
Ingress/egress: the door straight back from the front door goes to the garage. The door behind the stairs is an additional side/ back door.
I have used designers in the past. My experience has been they are more interested in form than function. They want things aesthetically pleasing more than they care about durability/ usability. And, they are more interested in selling than consulting on space. Maybe I have not used the right type of person.
My biggest challenge is wanting a table for eating but not taking up a lot of space for that because it won’t be used often.
The idea of putting the piano/keyboard on the pantry/refrigerator wall is interesting, but I think it impedes the pathway into the townhome from the garage. I think it would be dwarfed on that stair wall. Plus, it won’t get used often. But, I really don’t want it in an upstairs bedroom. I want it placed where I can enjoy ds’s playing when he does come visit.
The photos are very helpful. OK the porch is not going to be useful.
The last picture idea with 4 chairs and a coffee table are very attractive. When we have had charcuterie with couples on our deck it was basically that set up.
When you get the chairs for the kitchen bar- be absolutely sure they are the right height. I did not realize there are about 4 different heights for bars and I got ones too short.
Also, there is what I call a ‘fishbowl effect’ with the windows and lightening. Think about what you might want people to see at night. May need a type of window covering on the windows.
I think you could put the keyboard on the left wall of the area facing the patio windows. Then back up soda/chairs against it that can be moved away when son visits. Perhaps floor lamps on either side that would illuminate the keyboard and seating.
Oh, just got an inspiration. If you get a small dining table the height of the counter with fold down extensions, then get four or six chairs on wheels, two could live at the counter and the rest at the table except when you need to seat more at the table.
My son had that same ikea table. I think the idea is ok, but even fully open it on,y comfortably seated four.
My in-laws have a long drop leaf table. The top is actually very narrow. Each drop leaf goes to the floor. It opens to a square that is really roomy. Most of the time, it’s against the wall. They have a chair in each end. The rest of the chairs are around the house…and that’s a pita…
But the table narrowness would work in this space.
This is not the same keyboard but has the same dimensions. The keys are at a slightly lower level than the back. Obviously one can still add decor. But an added top wouldn’t balance.
The space between the staircase wall and the kitchen seems to be about 9’ wide and 10’ long. I measured our six seater dining setup and that’s about the space it takes with seats pulled out a little. One could get around it in that space but it would be a big bulk. I think a thinner drop leaf would work.
Yes, when the top of the keyboard is closed, it is slanted.
The hallway in the kitchen is 9’2” wide. I’m not sure how the aesthetic would be, but we could put a 5’ rectangular table perpendicular to the wall and place two chairs on the long sides and still have four feet of through hallway.
We will definitely have a better sense after being in the space.
Banquette seating against the stairway wall could be a dining option. It would allow for a wider traffic path, and can be created with extra storage underneath. Use a pedestal table and add as many chairs as you like.
. I once could play and took a beginning class after moving here just to get my hand back in to make me glad I brought it.
