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This nifty piano bar built by Brenda Bourns has been an absolute hit.
She’s an event producer, entrepreneur, solutions specialist, planner of all things fun, and now Winnipeg’s oh-so-accomplished Brenda Bourns of Event Strategy Productions has added another title to her portfolio — she’s an accidental pirate.
Her new self-appointed moniker came about as a result of a freak accident suffered last August long weekend, when she lost an eye — and ended up wearing a very pirate-like black eye patch for a few months.
And since everybody asks what happened, including me, the accident was indeed freaky, a nasty fall that resulted from her dog bolting just as they were arriving back home after a pleasant and routine walk. Truly beyond belief.
But nothing slows Bourns down. Before August was done, as part of her healing path, she decided a project to help begin to move on from her tragic event was needed, so she rekindled a piano bar idea she’d had simmering for a while.
In no time she found a free piano out past Winkler — but it made a great outing for her and her gang, and she was happy the owner had already removed the keys, because that meant she wouldn’t have to.
"Refinishing is definitely more my forte than dismantling," she says with a laugh, "so this piano find was perfect."
From September on, as healing allowed, she glued what needed regluing, sanded some, then applied Varathane Classic Wood Stain (dark brown), restoring and highlighting the rich beauty of that gorgeous old growth wood.
Inside the piano, she meticulously cleaned and polished every part of the metal harp, leaving it gleaming. All this while being fitted for a prosthetic eye. Wow. Inspiring.
The only construction alteration she did was to move the wood panel that normally faces the pianist down to where the keys had been, making it an ideal shelf for placing bottles etc.
She found some handy wine brackets at Home Depot to hang her glasses from, then she and daughter, Taya, went on an exhaustive treasure hunt through antique stores and thrift shops in search of some old crystal decanters to complete the old piano bar look.
Not only are Bourns and her family thrilled with how her repurposing project turned out, it seems everyone is.
"Every single person who walks into our house goes ‘WOH!" says Bourns.
No surprise there, it’s spectacular. Thanks for sharing this with us today.
No surprise either that this gives me an opportunity to encourage everyone with an old piano they’d like to part with to consider every rehoming option possible before sending it off to the dump. Believe me, I know just how big a challenge that is, because I’m trying to find good homes for some of the old pianos and pump organs I’ve rescued, and presently are taking up much too much space in my garage, and shed.
But I can’t stand the thought of this irreplaceable old growth wood and amazing craftsmanship being flattened by a big, angry CAT at Brady, or any landfill site. It’s just so wrong.
Maybe rather than discard them, if you no longer need a piano, repurpose them as Bourns has done to serve some other purpose in your home. Check Pinterest for tons of ideas.
Some of the wood in these old pianos started growing in the 1700s, and is still totally useful. If you ask me, it’s almost a crime against Mother Nature to turn it into trash.
There has to be a business opportunity somehow in collecting free old pianos, even to just take them apart to sell the components. Try buying wood of this quality new — ouch, it is BIG money.
And if you’d like an old piano, for whatever purpose, please adopt one of mine. Please. I need the space. I’ll keep rescuing, just… you know… fewer!
Comments and column ideas welcome!
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