Pianos seem to to lend themselves to dramatic turns of artistry. Case in point the new Kuhn-Bösendorfer piano, a collaboration between cold glass sculptor John Kuhn and piano makers L. Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH of Vienna, Austria. Instead of working with molten glass like most glass artists, Kuhn works in cold glass that is cut, polished, and fused from the inside out. His works have been featured in over 30 international museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Carnegie Museum, White House Permanent Collection, National Museum of American Art and hundreds of private residences and public spaces.The 7'4" black Kuhn-Bösendorfer piano and its matching bench contain as many as 100,000 hand cut, polished jewel-like pieces of glass arranged in diamond patterns. The piano will sell for $1.2 million and each instrument will have the purchaser's name written in gold leaf embedded deep within a crystal fallboard logo. The first Kuhn-Bösendorfer will be in Kuhn Studio's Winston-Salem, N.C. gallery shortly after it is shipped from Vienna in October.

[Thanks, Brian!]

If you just can't seem to get enough glitz in your home, you really love music, and you don't mind making obnoxiously large purchases online through eBay, then this one-of-a-kind Swarovski Crystal Collector Grand Piano by Bösendorfer will be right up your alley. Covered with 8,000 hand-cut Swarovski crystals it looks like something an ice princess would have in a fairytale, complete with matching bench. It's listed for a mere $750,000, and the auction ends Monday.

I love eBay, but I will never understand who does this kind of shopping online!

I took piano lessons as a kid and I think I really need to refresh my skills, because there is just something so classic and cultured about being able to sit down and play something. Not to mention pianos are a beautiful addition to any room, even when there is no music.

Two Austrian based entities have come together to create the Porsche Design Bösendorfer Piano, which combines contemporary design with old tradition. It boasts silvery shiny aluminum and dark gray metallic lacquer surfaces, along with other ground breaking new design features which may have a lasting impact on future piano development. It's definitely a nice way for a more modern home to incorporate some old-fashioned culture.

Via Sybarites