Exceptional woodwork for a milestone model

Over the past 15 or so years, Frank Pollaro – a New Jersey-based furniture designer known for his intricate wood inlays and marquetry work – has amassed what he believes is the world’s largest collection of Macassar ebony.

This rare, ornately streaked and naturally lustrous wood ranges in colour from medium brown to jet black. To create the veneer for this 2.7m-long Steinway & Sons grand piano, Pollaro used six logs from his collection of more than 500. “I love the formality of ebony,” says Pollaro, who laid the veneer with synthetic ivory to evoke French designer Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann’s art deco work from the 1920s. “I want the piano to become more interesting the closer you get to it, so you can’t stop until you are right on top of it.”

Dubbed the Fibonacci in reference to the spiral design that graces the top board and music rack, the piano is priced at US$2.4 million (S$3.2 million). “(The Fibonacci) is a work of art,” says Gavin English, the general manager of Steinway & Sons California. “It would be the crown jewel of any home, but there has to be enough room for the sound to breathe.”
Steinway & Sons