Decorate with Music—Display What You Love
Q: I’m looking for style on a budget. Being a jazz musician, I sometimes host musical parties and gigs at my place. I don’t have a lot of cash,but I’d like to have jazz-related art on my walls. I want something more stylish than the posters I had up in college. How can I decorate with music somehow? Something that won’t cost a lot or look hokey, please!
A: Using your passion as inspiration for your home decor can be wonderful! It’s also a little tricky. Having a theme gives you a focus, but if not done with care or restraint, it can look a bit kitschy. Happily, when you decorate with music, you have several great decorating options. Here are a few that are attractive, personal, unique, and affordable.
Framed Sheet Music = Instant Style
Hanging framed pages from sheet music for your favorite jazz tunes brings style and personality to a room. Vintage sheet music looks wonderful on the wall. I find it at thrift shops, on eBay or Etsy, and at used bookstores, all for just a few dollars. A collection of framed sheet music covers makes a fun and personal display. You might feature music with a theme (such as songs by a particular composer or musician). But really, any piece of music that you love would look great in a frame.
Consider framing not just covers but the actual sheet music itself. A copy shop can blow up the first page of a favorite piece of music to poster size. That would make a big visual impact. Inexpensive poster frames are available online or at craft stores. A thin black frame would echo the thin black lines of the musical notes and staves. That would look good in just about any room.
Vintage Album Covers Pack a Punch
Do you have a collection of vintage vinyl that you can’t bear to part with? Another great way to decorate with music is to use framed album covers.
A row or a cluster of covers displayed in album frames makes an instant impact. Imagine the nods of approval as your friends walk through a hallway lined with covers featuring Ella, Miles, Coltrane, Brubeck, Billie, Bird, Nina, or Jobim. You can find album frames at your local frame or craft store, or online. (If you buy them by the dozen, you can get them for under $6 apiece.)
If you don’t already own vintage records, you can find them inexpensively online or at used record and book shops. The Half Price Books chain often has a great selection of music and comedy albums available for $5 or less. Album covers from the 1950s and 1960s are often particularly visually arresting or amusing.
Musical Manuscripts Make Sublime Artworks
I come from a family of professional musicians, as does my partner. We’ve purchased and inherited quite a lot of sheet music over the years. Our collection of musical manuscripts, old and new, provides wonderful home decor. Our home’s music room, which doubles as a family room, houses several pieces. We decorate with music by displaying a few illuminated music manuscripts on vellum. We also have a few early printed music manuscripts on creamy cotton paper. Their square black notes, red staves, and lines from the Latin Mass look both elegantly antique and surprisingly modern.
Autographed photos of musicians are a fun touch. So are letters or other manuscripts from music-makers or composers. I purchased a signed letter by the legendary film composer Max Steiner at a local online auction for a song. You never know what kinds of treasures you’ll find at auctions.
Decorate with Musical Instruments
While you’re setting the mood, you can also display musical instruments as home decor. They’re sculptural, sexy, and beautiful, after all. Hang them on a wall or rest them on a table, bookcase, even a grand piano. To learn more about how, see my article Musical Instruments Make Great Home Decor.
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Record covers and sheet music make fun, personalized, and eye-catching art. Hang them on walls or display them on shelves | Matthias Groeneveld for Pexels
