The piano has been a part of my life since I was four years old. I love playing it. When I get to
focus on playing, I find myself in a place of peace and hope. The manipulation of the keys, the
crescendo and decrescendo, each pause, chord and scale are so rich and meaningful. Even a
1/16 rest serves a purpose in the music.
This is true for the piano, too. While the elements of sheet music play a significant role in the
mood and soul of the music, the elements of the piano are important to the quality of the
sound that is produced from the score.
The building of a good piano is quickly becoming a lost art. A good piano requires solid, quality
wood. Every element matters—the exact body dimensions, the stability of the leg design, the
materials used for the wires, hammers, keys, and even the connecting parts play a role in the
quality of the sound and the life of the piano. Most of the pianos today are mass produced with
the purpose to meet the demand, not to produce quality.
What does this have to do with architecture?
It’s similar to the way most homes are being designed and built today. Developers mass
produce homes, using less than quality materials in order to meet the demand. They crank out
as many homes as possible in the shortest amount of time and for the least cost. Their bottom
line is money, not quality. They may be built to look pretty on the outside, but often, the
construction under the façade is not made of quality materials or built with care.
Like a good piano that can last over a century, good architecture and quality building materials
can last beyond our lifetime, too. I want the homes that we create at Silver Elm Studio to reflect
the quality and care with which we build them—beautiful, strong, purposeful—lasting for
generations to come.