My husband is a studio musician. He loves all things musical and can play keyboards, piano, banjo, bass guitar, harp and lute. I managed to get the home I wanted by ensuring it had a potentially acoustically perfect room with floor to ceiling windowed patio doors that overlooked our backyard to the canyon hills beyond. Not long after moving into our new digs, my husband was contracted as back up for a national summer tour. I decided this was the time to put together that acoustically perfect room.

After considerable research I managed to find a contractor willing to do the necessary tear down and installation of floating walls, ceiling and floor within the time constraints of my husband’s tour and the budget I had allowed. The room had to be enlarged encroaching on our family room space, and the configuration changed to provide angles that would deflect and absorb reverberating sound. The patio doors had to be replaced with custom made double-paned tempered glass cut to size to fit the new dimensions of the wall. Acoustic shutters were added to close over the doors.

One of Jake’s buddy’s was able to oversee the project and ensure the math was done correctly to create a sound proof “silent” room when the doors were shut, and an amphitheatre effect when open for entertaining. The final result was a rhombus with a ceiling that sloped from about eight feet at its lowest point to twelve where it connected with the outside wall. A six inch raised platform was added for the baby grand piano.

Having so thoroughly invested in the room’s construction I was determined to make it as aesthetically pleasing as possible. I decided on a natural forest maple hardwood floor, and felt a bold color on the walls was in order. In my mind’s eye the room was a warm pastel orange shade and it took some work on line to find the exact color I was looking for. I selected a pearl white for baseboards and shutters. I wasn’t gutsy enough to buy musicians’ chairs in the recommended pastel green but chose to accent the space with palms in enormous sea green pots. The piano and bench looked fantastic. Jake’s instruments were grouped on appropriate stands. Slippers in various sizes were placed by the door.

Something more was needed. I had neglected decoration for the walls. Jake did not like ego walls particularly although he had certainly earned the right to have one. Finally, I found the perfect solution. Area rugs! Area rugs on the walls! Why not? I was able to find hand tufted wool rugs with musical motifs in colors that worked and in sizes appropriate to the dimensions of the room. One rug was a stylized montage of guitars, and another musical notes. I even found two Warhol area rugs, one of Mick Jagger and the other of David Bowie. I had them securely mounted and the room was done.

The effect, particularly from the viewpoint of the patio was stunning. My husband said not a word when I showed him his new studio. He donned the slippers, and walked round it, touching the piano, the guitars, the woolen portraits on the wall, smiled happily and kissed me and that was all.