The S.L.ED

Steinway & Sons has been manufacturing concert grand pianos for more than 150 years. To commemorate their anniversary, Karl Lagerfeld has designed an instrument that is unequaled in terms of beauty and sound: the Steinway Limited Edition, or S.L.ED. For the first time in the history of grand-piano manufacturing, Lagerfeld has rethought the traditional form. By shaping the feet like the runners of a sled, Lagerfeld has given the piano a new silhouette and has simultaneously made substantial improvements in the instrument’s resonance. This publication documents the creative process involving the S.L.ED from the first drafts and color tests through various production steps at the Hamburg Steinway factory to the finished instrument. A sensorial study of function and design, the S.L.ED is a convincing new interpretation of a classic shape.