In addition to pianos, I am also interested in architecture and interior design, and I am particularly drawn to modernist movements. Here, “modernist” specifically refers to the modernist philosophy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_architecture), not “modern” in the sense of “contemporary” or “trendy.” Many people have an aversion to “modern” buildings or spaces. Yet the reality is that most buildings and spaces today that are called “modern” are not designed according to modernist design principles (which take into account human perception and psychology, color theory, proportions, light, materiality, authenticity, function, ... and can and should certainly be cozy and warm), but rather according to cost-saving efficiency logic and white-beige furniture, which is described as “minimalist.” Or they are even postmodern and deliberately disregard or violate the principles of good design. Well, I digress. For a glimpse of beautiful spaces designed according to modernist principles, I can recommend this Pinterest board:

But this post is actually supposed to be about pianos. And there’s a lot I don’t like about them, especially digital pianos.

There are hardly any beautiful ones. And I think that’s a problem. After all, these things sit in our living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms, and 90% of the time we’re not playing them—we’re just looking at them. Most of them, even the very expensive ones, are made of MDF panels—which might be acceptable—with cheap plastic veneers that are supposed to look like wood but don’t. That really bothers me—when a material doesn’t stand on its own but tries to imitate something else. It always looks terrible. I can’t stand those “Dark Rosewood” pianos made of plastic film anymore. High-gloss black usually looks like a foreign object in a room. The only digital piano with real wood veneer (or even solid wood, in this case) is the Roland Kiyola. That said, I don’t necessarily want wood per se, though it would be nice if there were more options available in the high-end models from Yamaha, Kawai, and Roland. Above all, I wish that wood could just be wood and plastic could just be plastic. The Casio PX-S 7000 (especially the keyboard itself) is actually quite beautifully designed and doesn’t pretend to be something it isn’t. There’s now a flood of (in my opinion, unfortunately usually cheap-looking) affordable digital pianos from Donner and other companies in warm wood finishes and more homey designs, which show that the market and demand are clearly there. Unfortunately, you can really see the cost-cutting in their design as well as in their technology, keyboard, and sound. I really hope the big players wake up and serve this market.

So, now I’d like to share a few more beautifully designed (real, non-ai) piano rooms:

What do you think? What makes a piano or a piano room beautiful to you?