This All-Black Chalet With A $15 Million Price Tag Is The Modern-Day Wayne Manor Fit For Batman

Tucked away into Utah’s majestic Powder Mountain is a stunning all-black chalet that will quite literally take your breath away. Call it the ultimate villain’s lair or a modern-day abode fit for Batman, the Power Mountain Dark Chalet has a sculpted black exterior that oozes mystery, moodiness, and sophistication. Nestled away in the Summit Powder Mountain Ski Resort, the chalet is an hour north of Salt Lake City and seems to mysteriously float above the rocky landscape. The luxurious retreat has a mesmerizing asymmetrical form that boasts a glossy and matte composite skin –  making it seem like a precious black diamond wedged into the mountainside.

Designer: Tom Wiscombe

Designed by LA-based architect Tom Wiscombe, and quite rightfully dubbed the Dark Chalet, the impressive retreat is a 5900-square-foot geometric home built using black solar panels. The home is able to generate 300% of its own energy needs. As you enter the abode, you’ll be quite impressed, as the interiors are as exquisitely done as the exterior. The interior is open and free-flowing, and rather expansive, inviting you in and making you feel right at home. The structure holds five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms. It is adorned with various star features such as a sculptural fireplace, a custom Boffi kitchen, and an LED light display recreating the Orion constellation.

The massive central fireplace draws a lot of attention, as it has been dramatically embedded into the glass-railed staircase that connects the various levels of the home. The space is accentuated with multiple floor-to-ceiling windows that allow natural light to stream throughout the day. And at night, impressive light fixtures illuminate the space. As mentioned earlier, the dining room ceiling has been equipped with a fascinating LED installation that perfectly mimics the Orion constellation.

The Dark Chalet’s drool-worthy good looks and sense of style are balanced out by the use of sturdy and eco-friendly materials to construct it. The chalet perfectly balances aesthetics, functionality, utility, and sustainability, in turn, creating a haven that is worthy of its $15 million price tag…or is it a bit much? The residence would make for the ultimate weekend getaway if you’re willing to pay the rather heavy and dark price.

The post This All-Black Chalet With A $15 Million Price Tag Is The Modern-Day Wayne Manor Fit For Batman first appeared on Yanko Design.

All-black home features an intricate steel facade to allow plants to climb + grow over the house

English architectural studio Giles Miller Studio recently completed ‘Woven’ – one of its first residential projects in Kent, England. The impressive home features a sculptural black facade and is located around a hundred meters from the stunning cliffs and sandy beaches of Broadstairs, Kent. The unique dwelling integrates indoor and outdoor spaces beautifully owing to its facade mentioned above which features some intricate steel latticework.

The facade was created to help the home merge harmoniously with its natural surroundings, allowing nature to grow both indoors and outdoors. Plants are welcome to grow along and up the home’s exterior, while also being visible from within, which adds an even more fascinating twist to the residence.

Pros:

  • Breaks down the barrier between indoors and outdoors
  • Perfectly integrates nature within the home
  • Provides natural shading

Cons:

  • The numerous different plants can be challenging to maintain and can become messy and unruly if not cared for properly

Designer: Giles Miller Studio

The external facade of the Woven House is quite interesting since it seems to be a form of detailed and intricate artwork. This intricate latticework forms a framework for the different plants to grow upon – climbing plants such as jasmine and clematis. This allows nature to subtly and beautifully grow from the exterior of the building to the interior, which is possible owing to the generous amount of glass used throughout the home. The facade is also pretty useful as it provides natural shading to the property, which enables the use of massive floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The architects drew inspiration from the circular patterns of the twisted rattan weave and added a three-dimensional element to the home by utilizing recycled ABS modules crafted from electronic component housing waste.

“The buildings we inhabit have a direct impact on our state of mind. Through their design, they curate light, sound, and human interaction, while exposing us to nature and organic materials, resulting in a profoundly positive effect. In harmony with our latest surface and sculptural experimentation, we believe Woven represents a truly unique architectural typology,” said studio founder Giles Miller. The Woven house is designed to be an artistic approach to architecture and design, aiming to elevate and enhance the resident’s experience and concept of space.

The post All-black home features an intricate steel facade to allow plants to climb + grow over the house first appeared on Yanko Design.

Black timber flexible pavilion in Rome can be used as an exhibition space or even a bar

Designed by the architecture studio Buero Wagner is a black-painted timber pavilion on the grounds of Villa Massimo. Villa Massimo is the home of the Germany Academy in Rome, and the tent-like black pavilion has been installed to be utilized for a variety of reasons – from an exhibition space to a bar. The demountable and flexible pavilion is quite a versatile structure.

Designer: Buero Wagner

The Munich-based studio originally designed the pavilion in 2022, which has since been used in a wide range of exhibitions and events across Rome. It was built using a structural wooden frame that is clad in black plywood panels, which are demountable. The pavilion can be quickly and efficiently moved by five people or on a car trailer.

“The Black Pavilion was designed to be used as flexibly as possible,” said the studio. The pavilion can be used as an intimate exhibition space or transformed into a bar-like structure equipped with low tabletops, that can be used by opening out the hinged panels on the roof. If the pavilion is being used for performances or bigger gatherings, the two halves of the structure can be divided completely, to create an open space between them. “For exhibitions, objects are placed on wooden pedestals between the support structure and illuminated through small circular openings in the roof surfaces. With the roof surfaces folded out, a table-like area is created that can be used as a bar for cooking and eating, [and] in order to use the pavilion for larger events the sides can be placed with increased distance between each other,” explained the studio.

The pavilion has been marked by small and large circular openings that provide an atmospheric and spacious interior to it. These can be accessed via black curtains at the ends. The curtains were made using repurposed roofing membrane. The interiors and exterior of the pavilion feature a dark black finish, this creates a stark and vivid contrast to the surroundings of the pavilion, especially if it is placed in a natural setting. “In conjunction with the dark tonality, a negative space is created inside, through which focused and, due to the lack of reflections in the interior, color-intensified views are made possible,” concluded Buero Wagner.

The post Black timber flexible pavilion in Rome can be used as an exhibition space or even a bar first appeared on Yanko Design.

This all-black house with vertical steel slats in Barcelona is the definition of a modern family home

Black is a really strong and powerful color, that most of us often run away from! Especially when it comes to using it in our homes. However, when implemented correctly, black can radiate a very modern and minimal feel, creating an aesthetic that instantly leaves you feeling calm and balanced.  Spanish architecture Studio MDAMMM transformed a single-family home in Barcelona into a stunning all-black structure, with the home’s key-design elements shining bright. The original home was a simple structure marked by vertical faces built from exposed bricks of ochre tones, contrasted with grey tones. Studio MDAMMM renovated the dull building into a vision in monochromatic jet black.

Designer: Studio MDAMMM

Called the Black House, the form and the interiors of the home were left untouched. Instead, the studio focused on the volume of the home using a 180-degree design concept that works along four axes. The four axes are monochromatism, accents on the openings, verticality, and capillarity. The studio wanted to retain and preserve as much of the home’s original framework as they could. They only wanted to change the original color, and the material palettes of the home, since they were pretty out of style.

The entire facade was painted a stark black, to elevate the volume’s relationship with the surrounding greenery and vegetation, and to create a rather interesting contrast. The various openings of the home were fitted with angular sheet metal frames that protruded out of the structure. These protruding sections function as a double skin of the building. “The project seems nearly reduced to a graphic sign, monochrome and essential,” said project photographer, Filippo Poli.

The various sections were built in varying lengths and cadences, to create a sense of dynamism on the facade, and multiply it by integrating vertical planes into it. During the daytime, when the sun shines bright, the shadows produce dynamic displays of light, movement, and shade, according to the position of the sun. While, during the night, the home is illuminated by the lighting in the interiors, imparting it with an effervescent and magical glow. The home looks like a beacon of light in the dark.

The post This all-black house with vertical steel slats in Barcelona is the definition of a modern family home first appeared on Yanko Design.

Feel like a ninja master in the kitchen with these black kitchen knives

When you’re cutting and slicing through ingredients for your next dish, what your knife looks like might be the least of your concerns as long as it’s sharp and effective. Expert (and not to mention well-funded) chefs might have their favorite set of knives that are almost always on display because of their looks, but most people probably don’t have access to such exquisite tools, mostly because most kitchen knives aren’t exactly designed to look elegant. It’s almost as if there was a dichotomy between function and design, and you only had to choose one or the other. That isn’t the case, of course, and these handsome kitchen knives prove that you can have a sharp cutting edge with sharp looks to go along with it.

Click Here to Buy Now: $79 $99 (20% off at checkout). Hurry, deal ends Oct 20th.

Since kitchen knives always get stained and dirty, some people probably don’t care about how they look as long as they get the job done. That kind of mentality has been pervasive in many industries but is also slowly changing to become more conscious about design and aesthetics. With many tools for office and crafts becoming more visually appealing, it’s really only a matter of time before the humble kitchen knife gets its time in the spotlight.

NiNJA’s fashionable kitchen knives are definitely attention-grabbing, particularly because of their black blades. A color that has always been associated with looking smart and sophisticated, it gives the knives a simple yet effective upgrade when it comes to looking cool and modern. There is almost no other embellishment on the blade other than the discreet “i” logo, removing any potential distraction. Like a ninja hiding in the shadows or a secret agent in a black suit, these knives stealthily move in for the kill, cutting ingredients with precision and grace.

The dark knives aren’t just for show, of course. The blades are made of molybdenum vanadium steel, known for its highly durable sharpness, and is coated with titanium for increased wear resistance. The knives are made in Seki in Japan, a city steeped in Japanese sword crafting tradition and is one of the world’s knife manufacturers. Unlike mass-produced kitchen knives, however, each blade from this collection is made one by one by an experienced craftsman, delivering a higher level of quality than what you’d see and experience from dull-looking knives.

Whether you’re cutting meat with the Santoku, rock chopping with the Gyuto, or peeling vegetables with the Petty, these dark knives will allow you to slice through food prep like a master swordsman. And whether you’re still in the middle of your fancy hand movements or have finished cleaning up and setting aside your weapons, these stylish blades will definitely make you the center of attention and envy of others with sharp but boring cutting tools.

Click Here to Buy Now: $79 $99 (20% off at checkout). Hurry, deal ends Oct 20th.

The post Feel like a ninja master in the kitchen with these black kitchen knives first appeared on Yanko Design.

All-black architectural structures designed for lovers of minimal + bold architecture

Black is a really strong and powerful color, that most of us often run away from! Especially when it comes to using it in our homes. However, when implemented correctly, black can radiate a very modern and minimal feel, creating an aesthetic that instantly leaves you feeling calm and balanced. From a black timber cabin that takes cues from traditional building methods to a tiny black cabin built from felled oak trees  – this collection of all-black architectural structures is proof that when used boldly but smartly, black aesthetics can be a delight! I love these clean and minimal designs. What about you? Are you team all-black architecture too?!

1. Le Refuge KE01

Le Refuge KE01 is a black timber cabin near the coastline of Keremma, France, built by Gayet Roger Architects to function as the firm’s co-founders’ family vacation home.

Why is it noteworthy?

Designed to be the ultimate retreat for relaxation and rest, Le Refuge KE01 is a small black timber cabin with warm interiors by Gayet Roger Architects. Spearheaded by the firm’s co-founders, Anne and Aldric Gayet, the project was initially conceived to be an idyllic vacation home for the architects’ family. Measuring 850-square-feet, the black timber cabin was built in harmony with the surrounding landscape to brace weather conditions of all kinds.

What we like

  • A spacious, wraparound deck provides some lounge area on days when the weather permits
  • The home’s interior exudes a nest-like quality with warm, unfinished spruce cladding

What we dislike

  • No complaints!

2. Buster

Buster is located in Matamata, just a couple of hours away from Auckland, New Zealand. You will be able to hear the sound of spring river water flowing around you as you’re surrounded by trees, stones, valleys, and basically the joys of nature. It’s located below the Kaimai Range “amongst ancient native bush and farmland”. It is a tiny home perfect for one person or a couple who wants to temporarily or even permanently live in such an area and to have something that is built sustainably and with the environment and your comfort in mind.

Why is it noteworthy?

Instead of being made from timber, it uses black corrugate as it will last longer and can survive all the different kinds of weather that the area experiences. They also used plywood to bring “a sense of warmth” to the house and is in fact what is also used in the traditional kiwi trampers huts, giving you even more of a local feel but with modern conveniences. It’s a pretty good combination, having a more natural lodging but using sustainable technology and devices to give you comfort and function.

What we like

  • Buster is powered by GridFree solar panels
  • The house is oriented to the north so that it will be able to maximize the light during the summer and even during the winter

What we dislike

  • The solar energy is only enough to power a small fridge, lights, and to charge your smartphones

3. Casa ZGZ

Montevideo-based architecture firm iHouse constructs prefabricated homes using the latest dry construction methods currently trending on the international stage. With only 70 days to build a home for Conrado, an Uruguayan living in London, on his family’s property in Colonia, iHouse was well-equipped to take on the project. Formed by the merging of two modules, Casa ZGZ was constructed offsite and then installed on the family’s property in just five days.

Why is it noteworthy?

As Colonia is one of Uruguay’s oldest towns, the team behind Casa ZGZ hoped to maintain the spirit of the region’s historical architecture while contemporizing the cabin to accommodate modern needs. The single-level residence is clad in black in an effort to present hide the home in plain sight amongst the many elements of nature that surround it. The black exterior also warms up the home’s wooden interior, which is paneled with wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

What we like

  • Minimizing the home’s impact on the region’s environment and land, Casa ZGZ was constructed offsite in two modules
  • Coexists in harmony with a space alien to its language

What we dislike

  • It could have been equipped with another story

4. The Wood Pavilion #1

Lin Architecture constructed the Wood Pavilion #1 to create an ergonomic and meditative space where humans can indulge in their most instinctual and natural behavior.

Why is it noteworthy?

Human behavior is at the core of architecture and design. To build functional and meaningful structures and buildings, architects must first look towards the ways people naturally interact with interior spaces, the outdoors, and infrastructure. This marked the starting place for China-based architecture firm Lin Architecture when they developed plans for their Wood Pavilion #1, a prototypical experiment on space that redefines what living quarters could look like humans.

What we like

  • Designed to cater to the bare essentials of human behavior
  • Vista points are located in the most appropriate spots to capture the rising of the sun

What we dislike

  • No complaints!

5. Matt and Lisa’s tiny home

Nestled high above an Australian forest, Matt and Lisa’s jet-black, two-floor tiny home was constructed by the couple with help from a few friends.

Why is it noteworthy?

The tiny home’s black metal siding surely stands out, but amidst high eucalyptus treetops, it offers a more inconspicuous appeal, tying it up artfully with recycled hardwood trimming for the home’s protruding gables. Matt and Lisa’s home-on-wheels measures almost 30 feet in length and just about eight feet in width – the ceiling reaches sweeping heights of 14 feet, slightly above average for the conventional tiny home. But then tiny homes are anything but conventional. Coming from a builder’s background, the couple brought modern amenities to their tiny home such as cable, electricity, and running water, as well as a few playful outdoor features like an attached cat’s run.

What we like

  • Impressive high ceilings
  • Full-sized kitchen

What we dislike

  • People may prefer a more compact tiny home

6. Lola

Lola is a tiny home on wheels that’s part of designer Mariah Hoffman’s larger multi-disciplinary design studio and brand Micro Modula, one that explores “home, place, and the self.”

Why is it noteworthy?

Joining the movement, self-taught spatial designer and overall creative, Mariah Hoffman planned and constructed her own tiny home on wheels called Lola. Over the span of five years, Hoffman gradually transformed an old utility trailer into a 156-square-foot mobile tiny home. Born out of a daydream to build her own home, Hoffman built Lola to “learn all the necessary skills for [her] personal and creative survival.”

What we like

  • Built from construction materials that aesthetically met the bill and also provided some functional elements for the home to brace the seasons as well as the local critters
  • The interior was planned in honor of the midcentury design

What we dislike

  • The aesthetics may not appeal to everyone

7. Topol 27

Built entirely offsite, Bio Architect’s prefabricated construction process cut down on the energy otherwise required for the shipping and handling of building material. Once transported to its final location, the home was positioned atop an aboveground metal frame that gives the home a lofty appeal. Walking through the front door, the home’s residents are greeted by the kitchen and dining area that merges seamlessly with the single sleeping space. Then, on the other end of the home, a bathroom and dressing room host all of the amenities needed for comfortable living.

Why is it noteworthy?

Joining the tiny house movement, Moscow-based Bio Architects has finished work on Topol-27, a prefabricated, modular tiny home designed to “be picked up from the warehouse by the client, installed the same day, and be ready to live.” Comprised of five functional areas, Topol-27 is named after the square meterage it covers. With the aim of maximizing the available living space, Bio Architects fills Topol-27 out with a bedroom, kitchen, living room, bathroom, and dressing room.

What we like

  • Built entirely offsite
  • Built from environmentally friendly and durable materials

What we dislike

  • The black metal overcoat may give the tiny home a bit of an obscure profile from the outside

8. Riverside Cabin

On the banks of the Calle-Calle River in Valdivia, Región de Los Ríos, architects with Arce & Westermeier were commissioned to design and construct a shelter to function as a local professor’s riverside retreat. Located close to the Universidad Austral de Chile, the tiny home is called Riverside Cabin after its harmonic relationship with the Calle-Calle River. Brimming from the natural treeline that extends along the river’s edge, Riverside Cabin takes on an unconventional shape that embraces the home’s surrounding landscape and ecosystems.

Why is it noteworthy?

In the initial stages of designing Riverside Cabin, the architects with Arce & Westermeier asked, “What kind of relationship with the river do we want: a traditional one, which seeks that each program enclosure manages to please itself with this unique geographical element? Or rather, one that selects where and how this visual pleasure is obtained?” Upon realizing they’d like to explore the latter, Arce & Westermeier found Riverside Cabin’s unique look. Tilting one end of the cabin towards the sky elongated the internal volume and gave the ceiling lofty heights to accommodate the bi-level interior.

What we like

  • Blends in with the surrounding architecture, without taking away from the available views of the river
  • Built using prefabricated metal plates that brace Chile’s rainy climate

What we dislike

  • Not everyone may find the home’s unique shape and tilt appealing

9. Ohariu

First Light Studio, a New Zealand-based architecture group built their own tiny home with help from a local company Build Tiny, Ohariu, checking all of the above boxes. Built to be net-zero through several sustainable features and compact enough to meet all NZTA regulations for mobile homes.

Why is it noteworthy?

Ohariu was built by First Light Studio and Build Tiny from a client’s brief calling for, “a refined tramping lodge on wheels.” That’s code for hiking, for all us Americans. Since the tiny home would primarily be used for hiking trips and traveling throughout the outdoors, Ohariu was built to be adaptable and versatile above all else. Inside, the living spaces are described by the architects at First Light Studio as being, “more a large and very detailed piece of furniture than a traditional house build, the fit-out [focusing] on the things that are important and necessary.”

What we like

  • Each furniture piece inside Ohariu doubles as storage to maintain an open, clutter-free interior
  • Entirely powered by the solar panels that make a grid on the roof, Ohariu is net-zero

What we dislike

  • No complaints!

10. Hemmelig Room

Calling the bookworm’s oasis Hemmelig Room, or ‘secret room’ in Norwegian, Studio Padron built the entire tiny cabin from disused mature oak trees that were felled during the main home’s construction. From the outside, Hemmelig Room finds a geometric structure clad in blackened timber. Following the main home’s construction process, the felled oak trees were cut into large, rectangular log sections that were left to dry over several years before building Hemmelig Room.

Why is it noteworthy?

Studio Padron designed and built a tiny cabin entirely from mature felled oak trees acquired from another home’s construction waste. As the old saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” When it comes to home construction, waste produced during the building process opens the door for more opportunities. While many home builders and architects plan homes around the site’s preexisting trees and landscape, sometimes felling trees can’t be avoided. After finishing work on a new home, Studio Padron, a US-based architecture firm, utilized the felled trees collected during the home’s construction and built a tiny black cabin to function as the home’s standalone library.

What we like

  • Built from felled oak trees
  • Nonuniform timber panels merge with cavities to create bookshelves

What we dislike

  • No complaints!

The post All-black architectural structures designed for lovers of minimal + bold architecture first appeared on Yanko Design.

This minimal wooden desk elevates your furniture functionality with a minimal all-black aesthetic!

Working from home has turned us all into desk connoisseurs if you will. We have a newfound appreciation for furniture design and this all-black wooden piece is the one we’ve been swooning over. The Ark desk was designed for a client who wanted to increase the functionalities of his traditional table/desk – a need we have all realized during this pandemic. Ark is minimal in its design yet maximizes its surface area.

The interesting thing about Ark’s design is that it can switch identities between the writing desk and the dressing table. The mirror is an optional feature for the desk, you can move its position based on what you are using it for. One of its sides is a downwards flanging cabinet included to increase storage. It provides a space for keeping cosmetics during dressing, books, or work-related files which ensures that the desktop space is clutter-free. The cabinet also keeps the items stored hidden from the front view which makes the overall visual of Ark a very clean and pleasing one!

The design of the Ark desk is based on the customer’s need for optional additional functions of the table. The starting point of the design is that the table can switch identities between the writing desk and the dressing table. The mirror is an optional item for the table, you can move its position according to your requirements during use. The side down flanging cabinet is designed on the basis of storage, which provides a space for temporary storage of cosmetics during dressing, and further saves the occupation of desktop space. The desk interprets the beautiful combination of function and form with a simple and neat modern shape.

The desk interprets the beautiful combination of function and form with a simple and neat modern shape.

Designer: Pengcheng Wang

This discreet VPN connects to your device to establish a secure connection and keep your data safe!

Since most of our workdays take place online, the use of VPNs for secure web surfing has steadily risen in popularity. Some of us may use VPNs to freely access the internet via a secure connection and to ensure that our data is encrypted and inaccessible by cyber intruders. They come in handy when working on hush-hush jobs such as upcoming campaigns or classified projects. Adding his VPN design to the mix, Ian Redcay conceptualized Black, a virtual private network and hardware solution for data protection and unrestricted internet access for the everyday user.

Traditionally, VPNs have operated as online services or expensive hardware systems bought by companies to protect their data, while remaining mostly unavailable to the average consumer. To create a more accessible solution for consumers who’d like to freely interact with the web through an established secure connection, Redcay designed Black. All but for the transparent compartment that encases Black’s internal PCB, the portable VPN device dons a jet black exterior. The subtle and contrasting combination of transparency and opacity expresses Black’s dual purpose of data encryption and open internet access.

While Black’s exterior might be a focal point in and of itself, the hardware’s exterior works with its internal function to merge aesthetics with practicality. Once a user connects to Black through their personal device, whether a laptop or smartphone, then integrated VPN processing encrypts the user’s data while managing network access to protect the user’s anonymity. In addition to Black’s main function of data encryption, features such as silent air vents and LED indicators further drive home Black’s commitment to obscurity. Through minimal branding and understated design elements, Redcay conceptualized a VPN device that is as inconspicuous and guarded in appearance as it is slick and efficient in function.

Designer: Ian Redcay

Black’s exposed PCB allows users to witness the internal processes within VPN hardware.

Black was inspired by classic and contemporary tech design solutions.

Black is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, yet stealthy enough to protect your data from anywhere.

Air vents are located above and beneath the PCB to allow cold air to passively cool components during extended use.

“The exposed internal circuit board provides visual context to data encryption as it occurs within the device through a winding array of circuits and internal components,” remarks Redcay.

Maintaining its cohesive brand identity, everything from Black’s purpose to its packaging remains sleek in obscurity and aesthetic.

The small nature of Black provides it with a portability feature that lets you bring data protection anywhere you go.

On the overall look of Black, Redcay says, “Black’s branding is minimal at most; a small monogram that is hardly discernible from afar, unifying the identity of the brand and function of the device through a consistent visual language.”

Apple announces an Entrepreneur Camp for Black Founders and Developers

Apple has announced the latest program under the umbrella of its $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative. Founders and teams from 13 app companies are participating in the first Entrepreneur Camp for Black Founders and Developers. The camp...

These ergonomic glasses were designed specifically for Black People’s wider nose profiles

It’s weird to think that a design as basic and universal as spectacles or sunglasses can have a racial bias. The truth, however, is that like almost every product you see, spectacles often are designed for the default human, which is, in most cases, a caucasian male or female. Spectacle brand Reframd is correcting that racial bias by designing spectacles specifically for the facial profiles of Black people. The eyewear takes into account the placement and shape of the nose in relation to the eyes – features that distinctly set all races apart.

Most black people have much wider noses, causing spectacles to either pinch the nose-bridges or sit at a slightly higher level, resulting in distorted vision. “At some point, I realized the problem wasn’t with me or my face, but with the product itself,” says Ackeem Ngwenya, product designer and founder of Reframd. “It became clear that the product was not made for people like me, and that I could do something to change that.” The company was founded a mere 5 years ago, although Ngwenya says it’s rooted in years’ worth of “personal frustrations” and an “unwillingness to just accept the world as it is”.

Reframd’s range of spectacles feature a wider nose-bridge, and smaller lens-rings spaced further apart. Reframd works by using a parametric algorithm that runs in a 3D program. Put simply, customers use the front-facing camera on their smartphones to capture their “face landmarks”, reports DesignWeek “Essentially, it’s a pair of glasses that adapt in response to different inputs such as head width, bridge height, pantoscopic tilt, temple length, and more,” says Ngwenya. “These parameters drive frame creation for a particular person and that frame is then sent to our production partner and made for the customer.” This allows each frame to be custom-made for its wearer, ensuring a more personally-suited pair of spectacles that prioritize comfort and break the racial bias around the notion that a product can simply be made to ‘universally’ serve everyone, including people that weren’t considered during its design process.

Designer: Reframd