Room of the Day: Addressing the Green Piano in the Room

We’ve all heard of the pink elephant in the room, but interior designer Charmean Neithart thought she’d heard her clients wrong when they informed her she’d have to design around the green piano in the room. “When I started on the living room, the homeowner said she wanted everything new, except she had to keep the green piano in the corner. Of course, I thought, ‘What do you mean, green piano?’” Neithart says. After hearing the story behind the piano, Neithart was staunchly onboard about keeping it as part of the Pasadena, California, living room and designed around it accordingly.

Photos by Erika Bierman

Now for the answer to the big question — why is this green piano so special, and why is it the homeowner’s favorite possession? The green piano has a remarkable history: It is a treasured piece of war memorabilia. It is a Vertical Victory piano that Neithart’s client won at a London auction and gave to her husband.

“My client explained that during World War II, this Steinway piano was airlifted to the troops so the soldiers would have a form of entertainment during downtime,” Neithart says. “It was painted camouflage green to be in sync with uniforms and other military equipment.”


The way Neithart designed the room, the piano fits right in next to the fireplace. It has a presence, but it doesn’t overwhelm the room the way a green piano potentially could.

Just about everything else in the room was a new purchase, as the homeowners’ existing furniture was from their former home, was “humongous” and did not fit the scale of this room. Neithart mixed new pieces and antiques. “My client has great taste in antiques,” she says. A mix of pieces from around the world gives the room a collected look with chinoiserie flair. The hexagonal coffee table is an unusual Chinese antique. The homeowners already had the beautiful Persian rug, but it was too small for the room. Neithart really wanted to use it, so she layered it atop a sisal rug that was the appropriate size for the main seating area.

Sofa, barrel chairs: custom by Charmean Neithart


The photo on top of the piano is of some soldiers playing the green piano in a field.

Learn more about Vertical Victory pianos


“There was no need for the color palette to match the piano; I just needed it to be complementary,” Neithart says. She chose earthy colors found in the Grand Canyon, like henna and sand.

Neithart used one of her favorite design tricks for the pillow on the far left; she repurposed a remnant from a richly textured rug. Many of the other fabrics are from Michael Smith’s line for Jasper.


The side tables that flank the sofa are antique Korean chests. The client collects elephants, and this one’s howdah (seat) picks up on the green hue of the piano.



More chinoiserie style shows up in the corner, where two vintage bamboo barrel chairs surround an antique teak table.

The antique demilune tables at the other end of the room flank the opening to the home’s entryway. Together with the English turned-wood table lamps, they provide interesting silhouettes and add symmetry to the opening.


The limestone fireplace surround was existing; Neithart had a new iron fireplace screen custom forged and built in. The petite fireplace chairs are reproductions that she redid with new custom upholstery. “I love to use these for extra seating, because they don’t take up much room but can accommodate an extra guest or two,” she says.



They also accommodate Betsy and Albert, the homeowners’ two dogs.

Fireplace chairs, mirrored sconces: Currey & Company; painting: Greg Carter


Neithart also designed the sofa and the barrel chairs, which throw some curves into the room and play off the wood on the other antiques.


“This is one of the things I really love about my job, storytelling,” Neithart says. “It’s so interesting to know that in the seriousness of war there was pause for some lighthearted music.”

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