"Edelweiss was the only company I could find that could build this piano and me realise my dream."
The Vision
When I was designing the piano it was very important to me to respect the heritage of pianos, there build, there design so I decided to keep a lot of the natural elements. You still see the wood of the hammers and the levers, and the keys are still the classic black and white.
Because I feel pianos are really a look to the past but what is possible in the future.
We wanted to create something that was truly mind blowing, a real statement piece that was super elegant, very finessed but also was vivacious and had colour and brilliance to it.
I wanted to create the ultimate interactive experience, a sculpture that at the flick of a switch turns into a radiant and dramatic centrepiece, drawing you in both by sight and sound.
The piano needed to be beautiful, whilst also hiding the digital wizardry that allows the Edelweiss self-play system to operate behind the scenes
The Piano
I decided Coral would be an amazing colour to use in the piano. In my earlier years I travelled through India, and it was one of the colours that really comes to my mind when I think of this incredible country, the sunsets, the colour of the soil.
It would look incredible in Miami or in a very sophisticated country house in the UK and I think thats the beauty of this piece, it is a global piece of art and for everyone to enjoy.
The self-play system for me was a no brainer as it’s such an incredible piece of technology. It takes what is a piano that everybody can play into a piece of art that is 3 dimensional, 4 dimensional even, and its interactive and it means that people that don’t play can still enjoy and be part of the musical arena that they otherwise wouldn’t be.
We decided to put lighting into the piano because whilst during the day lets say you want it to be an elegant piece, a sculpture, a lot of our clients want to have something that is fun and diffrent and so at the touch of a button it starts the party.
And it illuminates so at nighttime, all the lights are off and just the piano is glowing – it’s truly sensational.
Why Edelweiss
We looked long and hard to find somebody to work with to create this idea this dream, and I take great pride in working with Edelweiss.
Edelweiss was the only company I could find that could build this piano, and help me realise my dream. I wanted something magnificent but musically precise; and their craftsmen were able to configure the exact design, colour and materials I was looking for.
They are an extraordinary company with incredible heritage.
Who is Dio Davies
From childhood, the joys of colour, light and materials were picked up from architect and artist parents and Dio’s passion for experimentation has developed into a distinctive personal style, driven by a desire to create interiors, furniture and art that stimulate the people who live in and with her work.
Throughout her design career she has consistently created striking, elegant and unique pieces of contemporary art and furniture to dress her client’s spaces. Her passion for Pop Art, music and modern materials inspired her to create her own acrylic collections. A love of the reflective, luminous, neon and ethereal qualities of acrylic – combined with mixed materials such as technicolour pills, crystals, gold leaf, and more – play to her love of the assemblage art genre. One of her well known 4D interactive pieces came to life in the form of the Coral Piano, a perfect combination of all these elements.
Dio Davies has created pieces internationally for leading interior designers and private clients. Her original commissions are conceived, designed and crafted to bring wonder to a space.
Edelweiss Transparent Pianos
Often described as the perfect contemporary classic with the styling giving a nod to tradition and its translucency showing the way ahead – the Transparent is one of our most popular designs.
It can blend almost invisibly into any interior, able to both subtly contrast or harmonise, and if required the be the statement centrepiece. And – should you want it to – it can be the perfect party starter with its LED colour changing lights. When you’re ready to dance just turn down the house lights, press play on your iPad and let the piano take over.
