B. Shoninger Rosewood ‘Organ Desk’, c.1872

 

 

Circa 1872. B. Shoninger rosewood melodeon that I repurposed & restored into an awesome fully functional “organ desk”.  This American treasure is made Brasilian rosewood and has gorgeous cabriole wooden legs with hand-carved angelic faces carved into the front legs. I was able to retain the original ivory & ebony keyboard keys and carved wooden foot pedals. I was able to repurpose the original hinged top cover into an awesome desktop complete with pass-through electrical ports that enable modern laptops, monitors and other electrical devices to be used for office/desk purposes. To preserve this treasured piece for decades to come, I hand buffed multiple coats of tung-oil varnish finish onto the piece that brings the original beauty back to its original state of over 140+ years ago when it was originally manufactured. Lastly, I included a secret hidden compartment under the desktop for storing small office materials such as paper, pens, etc. This is a one-of-a-kind ‘organ desk’ that not only is beautiful and functional but will also be a conversation piece of furniture in homes and businesses

c. 1900 Estey Organ Walnut Desk

Circa 1900 Estey (Brattleboro, VT) Organ Company pump organ transformed into a fully functional writing desk made of solid American walnut wood with original keyboard keys, organ pull-stops and foot pedals. This desk is a two part desk with a lower base unit and upper hutch unit with a mirror. Foot control board was removed and remounted in the rear of the desk to allow ample leg space below the desktop. The desktop was made from a similarly aged drop leaf table. Great care was used in repurposing this inoperative pump organ into a fully functioning ‘organ desk’ that will help ensure this great American treasure will be around for decades to come.

c.1900 Burdett Organ Co. Pump Organ Repurposed Into A Solid Walnut Writing Desk

Created this beautiful solid walnut writing desk from a c.1900 Burdett Organ Company (Chicago, IL) pump organ.  This fully functioning writing desk is solidly constructed.  I was able to retain the original keyboard keys, organ pull stops, and the foot pedals that adds to the authenticity and historical value of this American made treasure.  I hand rubbed/polished many layers of natural tung oil into all exterior surfaces of the desk.  Additionally, I was discovered how to add hidden LED light strips into the inside of the top shelf which results in a wonderful glow of light onto the keys, pull stops and desktop.  This organ desk is still for sale for $395.  Please contact me for details if interested.

 

c.1909 W.W. Putnam Organ Co. Walnut Writing Desk

This was one of my first antique pump organ transformations made from this c.1909 W.W. Putnam Organ Company (Staunton, VA).  It was a beautiful solid walnut piece with a wonderful carved hutch top that sat on top of the base desk. I used an antique dropside walnut table to make the desktop and was able to find a way to retain the original keyboard keys, organ pull stops and the foot pedals into the overall design of this fully functional writing desk. The customer was very pleased with the final product that looked great in her home alongside her other antique pieces of furniture.  She told me that she remembered watching her grandmother play on a pump organ when she was a small child and it brought back good memories.

c.1902 Moller Organ Company Walnut Writing Desk

Beautiful old 1902 Moller Organ Company (Hagerstown, MD) pump organ that I transformed into this wonderful solid walnut writing desk.  As shown in the pictures above, this desk also has a wonderful Eastlake style walnut hutch top that goes with it.  I added a hidden walnut slide out tray that allows for a keyboard to be ergonomically used and has plenty of room for monitor(s) to be used on the desktop.  A wonderful fully functioning desk that is being used daily for a small business.

c.1860 Richard Hornbacker Melodeon Pump Organ Repurposed Into A Writing Desk

This circa 1860 Richard Hownbacker Melodeon Pump Organ has been my most memorable transformation pump organ to writing desk projects thus far.  As the ‘before & after’ picture depicts this was a beautiful rosewood inoperative pump organ cabinet when I purchased it.  I was able to carefully disassemble the pump organ in order to retain the original ivory & ebony keyboard keys which I was able to incorporate back into the converted organ writing desk.  I moved the rosewood keyboard shelving to the rear of the desk to maximize the desk space while retaining the original scroll cut rosewood sheet music holder.  Lastly, I then began to restore & refinish this 150+ year old  piece of furniture with its hand carved solid rosewood curved legs.  This turned out to be an amazing stunning one-of-a-kind fully functional writing desk and will likely be around for another 100+ years.

c.1867-1870 J. Estey Flattop Cottage Organ Walnut/Oak Writing Desk

Above picture shows the ‘before & after’ pics of one of my most recent projects where I transformed this wonderful but inoperative circa 1867-1870 J. Estey Cottage flattop pump organ into a beautiful fully functional solid walnut writing desk.  I carefully dismantled this 140+ year old piece and was able to reutilize the walnut top cover into a wonderful desktop.  I was also able to save the original ivory & ebony keyboard keys, along with the organ pull stops, and the foot pedals by incorporating them into the overall writing desk for originality and authenticity of this organ desk.  With its open ‘flattop’ design the new organ desk can handle most computer monitors.  I also added a ‘hidden’ walnut slide out tray for storing a keyboard.  This is a stunning solid constructed piece of American history that will likely still be in service for decades to come.