c.1940 Hallet & Davis ‘Piano Sideboard/Buffet’

I repurposed this awesome 1940 Hallet & Davis console spinet piano with its book matched burl walnut veneer console piano into a functioning sideboard/buffet display piece of furniture for a customer of mine who wanted to keep this family heirloom piece but had no more use for it as a piano. The piano was completely stripped of its musical mechanisms, but we were able to retain much of the original keyboard keys and foot pedals. Due to the customer’s space restraints for the new piece, we had to reduce the depth of the piano by cutting away some of the original keyboard support shelving. I added concealed remote control LED lighting strips under each shelf which resulted in awesome warm glowing light on each of the display shelves. It turned out awesome and will likely be in this family for decades to come.

 

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.1890s Farrand Oak Organ Writing Desk

 

This was a very interesting transformation of an old c.1890s Farrand Organ Company pump organ into another beautiful solid oak writing desk.  At first sight, I was considering just painting over this piece, as you can see from the “before pic” above the finish was almost black from the 120+ years of darkened varnish.  After removing some of this old varnish, the oak grain began to come through and I knew that I had to follow through with the restoration and transformation of this wonderful American made piece of furniture.  I had and oak desktop about the same age and patina finish that I was able to use for the organ desktop that turned out gorgeous and was a perfect match to the organ.  I was able to retain the keyboard keys, organ stops and foot pedals which I incorporated into the organ desk.  I added an LED light strip to this unit which helped to highlight the keyboard keys and desktop. The customer for this desk was extremely happy with it, as it matched perfectly with her home decor. 

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.1900 Beethoven Golden Tone Walnut Organ Writing Desk

c.1900 Beethoven Golden Tone walnut pump organ that I transformed (upcycled) into a beautiful fully functioning writing desk.  I was able to incorporate the organ keyboard pull stop and food pedals.  As this was one of my first organs to convert, I didn’t know how to incorporate the keyboard keys at that time, but did give them to the customer so perhaps they have found a way to incorporate them into the desk by now.  The wood tone/patina on this 100+ old desk turned beautiful.  I built the desktop from an antique drop side table from around the same time era.

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.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.