Jewelled notes
With fingers on the ivories, all attention is on the pianist when playing. But once the music stops, there’s no reason that a piano cannot be an objet d’art as well. That seems to be the logic behind this collaboration between legendary pianomakers Steinway and Sons with decorative geniuses Baldi Home Jewels. The result is this: the opulent Armonia Limited Edition by Baldi.
Comprising five different designs (limited to ten each), each piano in the collection features the sort of gilded Baroque stylings that defined the Tuscan house of Baldi. Each of the designs – named Acanto, Impero, Muse, Richelieu and Sherazad – is decorated with hand-chiselled bronze cast in the lost-wax technique.
The Impero, for example, has winged imps masquerading as its legs. Muse has a Greek-style frieze running along the edge of the piano, while Sherazad opts for Rococo-style trellises everywhere. Nine different bronze hues are available – from silver- or gold-plated to the elaborate Decapé Kaplan gold varnish. For further embellishment, Baldi’s artisans will upgrade the Armonia with precious stones if a client opts for the Ad-Personam Special Edition.
And to top that all off, you don’t even need to be able to play a piano to enjoy an Armonia. All units are equipped with Steinway Spirio, a self-playing piano system that links to an iPad to play back legendary performances by talented pianists. Which means, of course, that all attention will always be on your Armonia.
