The piano desk
Studio Pianodrome repurposes piano parts to create and build new objects that can be used day to day, reusing wood panels, screws, keys and all sorts of bits and pieces that can be found in a piano that is no longer played.
Using materials from discarded pianos is a way of honouring the craftsmanship that went into building the pianos sometimes over a century ago, and giving new life to parts that provided the instrument its music and character. It is also a way of making the most of what is available, limiting waste and the need to produce new objects for a specific purpose.
Design and drawings by Tim Vincent-Smith.
Photo credit: Shona MacArthur
As part of this vision, bespoke furniture can be built from piano parts, and in the case of this Studio Pianodrome project, a desk was designed to fit into the small space available by a window.
A piece of wood was chosen, with an ideal width for a small table and a beautiful pattern of lozenges of different shades. The design allowed for the desk to fit around the walls near the window, using the shape of the available space and of the piece of wood together.
In the spirit of upcycling as much of the material as possible, the spare pieces of wood that were cut to shape the desk were added to the design as a small shelf and a ledge linking it to the table, therefore using the entirety of the piece of wood. A few piano keys were added as brackets for the desk and a leg providing support for the shelf.
Photo credit: Shona MacArthur
The final result is a beautiful patterned desk that fits nicely into the window sill, held up by two piano keys, one black and one white that are visible at the edge of the table. A small shelf with the same pattern is right below the side of the desk, held up and linked to the table by the other piece of wood cutting, and by another whole piano key, using its natural angle to form a leg for the shelf.
Finally, two sets of a white and black key link the desk to the shelf, adding to the piano look of the desk and providing support for notebooks or other objects. This Studio Pianodrome project upcycled the entirety of the chosen materials from a disused instrument into a unique, bespoke piece of furniture.
Photo credit: Shona MacArthur