Fine-Tuning: 9 Inventive Ways to Repurpose a Piano

What do you call a grand piano with no legs or innards? How about a distinctive wall-mounted shelving unit! Books, candles, family photos, and even a lamp populate the shelves of this unique city apartment creation. You’ll definitely want to make sure you’ve got this baby mounted to the studs!

A coat of fresh paint and mirrors add panache to this recycled piano cocktail bar. Display wine bottles or candles up top and outfit the underside of the keyboard with wineglass holders. A glass shelf over the keys provides even more storage, as well as a handy place to rest drinks.

If you’re considering recycling a piano and think you will need to remove the keys, don’t toss them in the trash! Instead, use them to create a chandelier. This peculiar pendant is guaranteed to be a conversation starter, whether it’s suspended over a dining room table or illuminating a music room. 

Here’s a way to keep an heirloom family piano in your home and use it every day—as a computer desk. Elevate and secure the top of an upright piano to make way for a flat screen computer monitor and peripherals. A sheet of clear acrylic on the keys maintains the integrity and supports a modern keyboard. 

Here’s another—somewhat less “grand”—example of a piano shelf. Constructed from the salvaged keyboard and surrounding frame of an apartment-size piano, this wall-mounted shelf provides compact and eye-catching storage for a front entry or hallway.

This glossy black coffee table was once the lid of a baby grand piano. A little paint, some musical note stencils, and four new legs give it a new lift, new life, and new look that will particularly appeal to fans of decorating in black and white. 

Who says a workbench can’t be classy? With its inner-workings removed, this aged upright was fitted with an easy-to-install fluorescent light and a piece of pegboard to become a useful and stylish DIY workspace. The accompanying piano bench is ideal for storing your favorite how-to magazines and manuals!

The stately polish of a piano is perfect for any formal setting, so why not repurpose an old piano into a headboard for a traditional-style bedroom? This one plays up the rich wood tones and intricate carvings of an antique upright and puts them to good, albeit nonmusical, use, ideal for a guest bedroom in a traditional or historic home.   

Last but not least, this weathered piano overflows with charm as a delightful water feature, complete with begonias and ivy. Visit your local hardware store for a DIY waterfall or small fountain kit that can be installed in the bowels of a discarded baby grand. 

If you’re looking for more on repurposing, consider: 

10 Reasons to Love Architectural Salvage

13 Easy Ways to Repurpose Antique Armoires

11 Ways to Use Salvaged Wood in Your Home