From James: Touchstone was created from a simple idea: to strip away excess and let form, material, and proportion speak for themselves. I wanted to channel my interest in architecture and art into something tangible, translating those influences into the language of keyboards. In those fields every line and surface is intentional, shaped to feel comfortable and familiar without distraction, and I wanted to carry this approach through to the medium of keyboards. In spite of the bold shapes, the design language is rooted in restraint, aiming for honesty rather than novelty.
The physical design of the keyboard draws material inspiration from modernist and minimalist sculpture, particularly the structured clarity of Carl Andre and the spatial sensitivity of David Rabinowitch. Their focus on geometry, mass, and surface guided the relationship between metal, texture, and light within the piece. The “Mono” edition came first, built around a stark, clinical palette that defined the tone of the project from the outset. But as the design neared completion, the “Primary” colourway naturally emerged as the clean, geometric layout of the board’s underside aligned perfectly with the principles of the De Stijl movement. Piet Mondrian’s “Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow” felt like an inevitable reference at that point; you’d never guess it wasn’t the original inspiration.
With Touchstone we’ve taken those same ideas of structure and material honesty and translated them into a functional object, treating the keyboard not as a gadget but as a piece of design worth contemplating in its own right.
Colorways:
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Specifications:
Typing Angle: 7° Effective Front Height: 20mm Layout: Full-size, 108 keys+. Both WK & WKL (we only have WKL prototypes). Mounting Style: Top-mounted, with separate PCBs and plates for the TKL & numpad sections. Medium: Brass and aluminum on aluminum (Primary), Steel and aluminum on aluminum (Mono) Weight: 5.8lbs/2633g (Unbuilt), 7lbs/3117g (Built)
That's a lotta bits
Sale Plans:
We plan to sell the Touchstone in early 2026.
The two colorways on show will be the only two available.
Cost is estimated to be under $600 at 100 MOQ. More info on that when we have it.
We have had some requests for a southpaw version. We can look into this depending on cost and interest so please let us know what you want in the IC form!
