Looking at this grand piano, you would be forgiven for thinking it was a prototype for some forthcoming modern take on a classical instrument. Forgiven, but wrong. This futuristic looking set of keys in fact dates back to 1931.
It was designed by Poul Henningsen, in response to a conversation with famous Danish Jazz pianist Leo Mathiesen. Mathiesen complained that the solid lid of his piano made it hard to see his bass player during performances — so Henningsen designed a piano to solve the problem.
In fact the whole thing, with its curved legs, is designed to to provide more room for percussion instruments in an ensemble set-up. Regardless of practicalities, though, it’s a beautiful object — and a fine example of design that refuses to age. [Tuvie]
Image: Bluethener