For the first time since its US launch in winter 2022, Steinway & Sons are bringing their latest Limited Edition, the Gran Nichetto, to Europe. The grand piano, limited to 50 editions worldwide, is the collaborative work of award-winning designer Luca Nichetto and the master craftspeople at Steinway & Sons.
Before you pick up your phone to speak to your bank manager, please note that just one Gran Nichetto Model B Steinway grand in black ebony will be available throughout Europe. The limited edition piano will be exclusively on display at the MOHD interior design showroom during Salone del Mobile, which takes place from the 18th – the 23rd of April in Milan.
Steinway Limited Edition pianos are unique masterpieces created by some of the most notable artists and designers of our time. They are custom-built to combine classic Steinway craftsmanship with inspired artistic concepts. The Gran Nichetto, with its elegant aesthetic and contoured design, celebrates the famed shape of Venice’s beloved gondola, and the incorporation of leather details adds to the Italian signature.
Nichetto approached the piano like a piece of high-end furniture, dissecting and redefining all external elements in close collaboration with Steinway’s craftspeople. He described the assembly of these elements as similar to a micro-architecture project, evolving the aesthetic of the Model B in a way that honours the history and tradition of Steinway & Sons.
The Gran Nichetto Limited Edition was more than four years in the making. Nichetto initially conceived it as a homage to Venice, where he was raised; in designing Gran Nichetto, he sought to translate the smoothness and dynamism of the gondola into the detailing of the piano, accenting the lines and celebrating the contours across the instrument’s every detail.
Gran Nichetto sits atop elegantly sculpted legs defined with brass or stainless-steel accents. The music desk is distinguished from the case’s high-polish finish by the fine lustre of Italian leather. The gracefully tapered top stick supports the piano lid, which is reinforced with brass or stainless-steel hardware integrated into the piano rim. The pedal lyre is a single piece of hand-crafted bent lamination.
A matching bench accompanies the Gran Nichetto. With its exquisite design, Gran Nichetto also offers the show-stopping capabilities of Spirio | r, the world’s finest high-resolution player piano, offering live music on demand and live performance capture, editing, and playback.
The Spirio music library offers an ever-expanding collection of music from the world’s finest artists, both living legends and immortal giants.
About Luca Nichetto
Luca Nichetto was born in Venice in 1976, where the famous Murano glassmaking industry inspired his artistic talents. His career started in his school days when holidays were spent selling his designs to local factories. He studied at the city’s Istituto Statale d’Arte and earned a degree in industrial design at the local Università Iuav di Venezia (IUAV), graduating in 1998.
The following year, he joined the Murano-based glassmaker Salviati, later becoming a product designer and consultant for the lighting company Foscarini. He founded Nichetto Studio in 2006.
Five years later, he moved to Stockholm, Sweden, and opened a second studio there, combining his Italian flair with the Swedish spirit of modernity and sustainability. Over the years, Luca has served as art director for many international design brands and has gained a reputation as a multidisciplinary designer.
He has lectured and led workshops at several universities, including serving as a professor of design at the IUAV, and has sat on juries for various international design competitions. His work is often featured in prestigious exhibitions worldwide and has been the subject of retrospectives in cities including London, New York, and Beijing.
His highly researched, innovative projects have earned him an impressive array of international awards for designs that range from products, accessories and furniture to architecture, exhibition design, and branding.
For more information on Steinway & Sons, please visit their website http://eu.steinway.com.
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