New Piano Wall

About two years ago, my daughter began taking piano lessons.  (So did I, but I only lasted 1 year.)  We had purchased an electric keyboard for her to practice on.  It worked... did the job.  But we kept hoping to get a piano one day.  Unfortunately a new piano is WAY out of our price-range... and old pianos can be tricky (is it too old or too damaged?)

Here is the wall we wanted the piano to go.  The black cabinet would go in the dining room.

Our awesome piano teacher (a good friend and neighbor, actually) offered us hers if/when she got her childhood piano delivered.

That day arrived.  Fortunately some awesome, brawny neighbors were kind enough to help move it (rather than spend $350 to move the piano four houses down the street).  They even came home from work a little early last Friday to make sure we squeezed in the move between pockets of rainy weather.  Don't worry... we paid them well... with food and beer.  

The piano... moments after my awesome neighbors dropped it off.  :)

The piano looked great in the room.  Great size for the small room.  But, naturally, after realizing the piano was a good fit, I immediately started looking at the wall behind it.  Oh no... time to redo the wall hangings.  They used to flank a tall cabinet, but now I needed something OVER the piano.

I went around the house looking for something to work.  A series of photos?  An old window?  A mirror... nah, there's a big mirror on the wall to the left.  Then I found this thing... 

This was purchased at my town's annual Tag Sale.  I bought it from an antique dealer for just $10.  I'm not sure what you'd call it.  She referred to it as a "Russian Coat of Arms".  I wish I'd had the sense to ask more about it because now I'm super curious.  It's a raised relief plaque that is clearly hollow inside (fairly lightweight).

Although I love the plaque on the brown wall, over the piano... the wall is still missing something.  I need to start scouring through my Ballard Designs catalogs and see how they decorated walls with similar items.  Any suggestions?  I thought of two green wreaths... but I may have already hit my limit in wreaths allowed in one house (see post).

I did do a little something to the top of the piano though.  I pulled out some frames that were accumulating in my craft area and put them to work.

Some framed photos on the piano.  Now to work on finding a bench....

After I added the photos yesterday afternoon (ala Costco's quick online photo printing), my son came home from school and immediately wanted to know why I have a great photo of my daughter at her violin concert... but none of him with his guitar.  Ummm.... guess I better get a good seat next week at the spring guitar concert!!  I told him he better have a great seat for me to snap a great photo.  Last time he was behind the conductor.

Fortunately he was happy with a new addition.  Somehow this little front room has become the music room, complete with guitar, violin and piano.  {Guess we should stop calling it the book room and move to "music room".}  Anyway, the guitar is usually to be found anywhere inconvenient... on the sofa, on the chair, on the ottoman, on the floor, and recently, on the piano.  So, I splurged and bought him a guitar stand.  Yeah, I didn't realize they were only $15.  Ooops... should've done that long ago!

The black chair is hopefully temporary, but it works.  We always are looking for places to put our extra dining chairs... this location is useful too!  If anyone knows of a great high-quality CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP bench that looks nice too, let me know.  If I could avoid it costing more than the piano, that would be great.  {giggle}

$15 guitar stand from Amazon.  Love that the guitar now has a PLACE to sit.

So, I'm not really offering any great advice or decorating tips today.  But, I am asking for suggestions... what would you do on either side of the "Coat of Arms"?