For Tylko, a furniture brand known for its fully customisable pieces, I designed and built an interactive showroom installation that brings their online configurator into the physical world.
Visitors begin by placing 3D printed miniature furniture models onto a wooden surface with a hidden RFID reader. Each piece is recognised instantly, loading the corresponding furniture model into the interface ready to be configured.
From there, two custom smartknobs take over. Each knob is equipped with a brushless motor and encoder, running custom firmware that gives every configurable parameter its own distinct haptic personality. Width, height, style and colour can all be dialled in physically, with each parameter carrying a different step angle, resistance and feel. At the limits of any value, the knob pushes back, so without ever looking up, you know exactly where you are. After a few moments of use, the knobs feel intuitive enough that the displays become secondary.
The whole experience ties directly into Tylko’s existing furniture configuration system through a custom integration, meaning every change made on the knobs is reflected live in the interface.
The installation is currently live in Tylko’s Berlin showroom, with further rollouts to other locations planned later this year.
