Repurposed Piano Parts–Entry Table

One of my latest projects has involved the dismantling of my grandmother’s old upright piano. It involved a tremendous amount of work but it was great fun. I am in the process of recycling all of the parts. My first repurposed item was an entry table for our summer cottage.

Due to limitations in the size of the lot, the layout of the house has a long, narrow hallway coming from the entry.

The photo makes the hallway appear wider than it is. Actually it is only four feet wide, wall to wall so it would be less than that at the moldings on the floor. Thus, it is too narrow for even a shelf to be mounted on the wall.  I needed some type of small table to drop keys, phones, etc. on to keep it off the end of the kitchen counter.  At the end of the hallway, there is a niche next to the refrigerator that is 26 inches wide and 13 inches deep. After looking and looking for a piece to fit this spot, I finally decided that I could build my own. Take a look at what I started with………

I didn’t take a lot of photos of the deconstruction but it was done over a period of two afternoons. Three large pieces came off very quickly and easily. The large panel on the bottom above the petals simply lifts off. The large panel at the top where the music rests comes off with a couple of screws. And, the very top which is a hinged panel comes off with a couple of screws. I will be repurposing these parts into a chest. After removing those three parts, we had to lay the piano down on its back so that it would not fall as we dismantled every thing else. I am NOT recommending that anyone try this. It is dangerous as these old pianos weigh several hundred pounds! The parts that I used for the table were the legs (which were held on with big screws) and the very bottom of the piano. I also used one of the curved pieces that folds down to cover the keyboard.

The top of the table was made from the very bottom of the piano. It has a beveled edge on it. I stripped the varnish off of the curved piece and chose to leave it as natural wood because the finish was so pretty.

My only purchase for this project was one piece of molding to cover seams on the sides of the table.

There actually was a piece of molding in my salvaged parts but it was not wide enough to cover the area I wanted to cover.

I built the drawer (box) out of a scrap of plywood and screwed the round front on from the inside. I even reused the wood screws from the piano! (I should have painted the drawer but was too anxious! I’ll do it later.)

I purchased a buffet lamp from the clearance section at Hobby Lobby.

Then I added a vintage box from my collection.

It is a wooden cigar box that I purchased at a flea market for $2!!! I almost died when the vendor said I could have it for $2! Another project checked off my list. Now, if I can re-train my family to drop keys here.

I hope you’re having a great and productive summer!

I’ll be linking to Wow us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style and to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.