What a salon actually is
A salon is a single room designed to hold a small group in conversation and — usually — an instrument, a painting, or both as the focal point. It is not a formal living room and it is not a music studio. Its purpose is intimacy at scale.
The four decisions that matter
- Proportion. A room around 6 by 8 metres with a generous ceiling is the classical size. Larger works; smaller quickly becomes a lounge.
- Focal point. One anchor — a grand piano, a canvas of real scale, or a fireplace — and everything else arranged around it.
- Acoustics. Some soft, some hard. A rug under the seating, curtains on one wall, plaster or wood ceiling — but not carpeted-cocoon deadness.
- Light. Layered, warm, and dimmable. Overhead-only lighting kills a room; small lamps at eye level make it.
Furniture, briefly
Fewer pieces, better made. A pair of properly-scaled sofas or a sofa and two occasional chairs is enough for eight people. A drinks table. A small bookcase. Space to walk. Do not over-furnish; leave the room enough silence to be a room.
The instrument or the canvas
If the anchor is a piano, see Best grand pianos for luxury interiors. If it is a painting, see How to buy art for a villa in Spain. Do not do both as competing focal points in the same room — one leads, the other supports.