take | roland kiyola kf-10

talking about design — with a digital piano that doesn’t look like one.

we’ve already talked about our appreciation for brands that dare to do things differently in our story about the Ombraz Classic sunglasses. doing things differently creates room for ideas and allows for an object to be looked at purely for what it could be. Roland, a japanese multinational manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, went and brought such an idea to life — together with the, also japanese, furniture maker Karimoku.

digital pianos have come a long way. the surface of the keys, the feeling when keys are pressed down and the sound created by this are close to the experience on a real piano. close — this is probably as good as it will ever get. the digital recreation of the feel and sound of a piano will always lack some of that magical touch that only strings and wood can create.

this opens a new door. when design does not have to follow function — because there is no physical sound box like in a traditional piano — it adds new degrees of freedom. it creates space to explore. this freedom is where the Kiyola KF-10 originates from. the result are looks inspired by scandinavian furniture with elegant curves and soft rounded edges. this minimalist design language has been applied at every angle, down to the pedal box and the piano bench. when closed the Kiyola KF-10 looks more like a piece of furniture than a piano.

don’t get me wrong, the Roland Kiyola is not just pretty to look at. the same attention to detail and feel of craftsmanship that went into the appearance continues when you use this piano for what it is supposed to do (making music). but that’s the key — pun intended. Roland and Karimoku did not let this piano be limited to what it might be supposed to do or look like.

the Kiyola KF-10 is the beautiful result of creativity that is free to play with no rules. and that is both something worth highlighting and aspiring to.