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The Fair
Words by: ICFF September 04, 2024

Though a heritage premium piano producer with an origin story rooted in both Germany and New York City, Steinway & Sons has always fostered a sense of experimentation and innovation. From its already illustrious beginnings in the 1850s of Lower Manhattan and the establishment of piano halls throughout the city in subsequent decades to sumptuously crafted one-off and limited-edition models—elaborately decorated according to the rapidly shifting styles of the 20th and 21st century—featured in major homes including The White House, the widely revered boutique brand has continuously pushed the envelope in both engineering and decoration. Recent collaborations with heavyweight product designers like Luca Nichetto and Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance have allowed for even more invention.

 

 

Gran Nichetto

“Our tradition of customizing pianos dates back to the early 20th century when J.B. Tiffany led Steinway’s Art Case Department,” says Robert Polan, company vice president. “Over the years, we’ve crafted thousands of unique pianos featuring intarsia, gilding, glass, marquetry, and carvings. These latest endeavors demonstrate Steinway & Sons’s history of merging craftsmanship with contemporary design innovation.” While tried and true handicrafts are still essential to the process, so are new computer-aided and 3D-printing tools, which allow for greater precision and the expanded ability to push the limits of implemented materials. 

The Steinway factory

While the eponymously named Grand Nichetto piano roots in rich artisanal tradition of Murano glass and evokes the undulating form of the gondolas found in the designer’s native Venice, Duchaufour-Lawrance’s limited edition Noé grand piano translates the universal yet intangible qualities of flowing water and music in solid form. “The piano’s body, or ‘rim,’ incorporates added mass with layers of mahogany, allowing for a sculpted shell unlike any previous Steinway, Polan adds. “The Grand Nichetto also feature Steinway’s Spirio | r technology, a high-resolution player piano system enabling live performance capture and playback, bridging traditional artisanal prowess with cutting-edge musical technology.”

Past collaborators have included fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld, glass artist Dale Chihuly, American Studio Furniture movement forebearer Wendell Castle, and pop star-turned interior designer Lenny Kravitz. Steinway & Sons is currently working with Disney and Italian designer Elena Salmistraro on a limited-edition design celebrating the lasting cultural impact of cartoon character Mickey Mouse. “Our future collaborations will continue to blend Steinway’s renowned craftsmanship with contemporary designers, producing pianos that are both visually stunning and technologically advanced,” Polan concludes.

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Gran Nichetto

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