The Bold Prestige is a smart lock concept I developed with Maurits Tol. The aim was to combine a premium appearance with an experience that feels simple and familiar. We looked beyond the lock itself and designed a system that brings the handle, keypad and locking mechanism together.
The idea was straightforward: anyone you give access to should be able to open your door. A neighbour watering your plants, a child who keeps losing their keys, or a grandparent coming over to babysit. Without needing to download an app or figure out a new interface.
Research
During our analysis, we found that Bold’s existing code entry system could be difficult to understand. People sometimes needed to practise before they could open the door. For something as everyday as entering a home, that felt like an important problem to solve.
This became the starting point for our design. We wanted to make access easier for people with different levels of confidence around technology. A physical keypad gave us a familiar interaction to work with: enter a code and open the door.
The main challenge was bringing that simplicity into a product that still felt like Bold. We used the brand’s moodboard to guide decisions around shape and finish, combining a classic door handle with a rounded housing and an integrated keypad.
We approached the design as a complete door system, intended to work with configurations using either a latch alone or a latch and deadbolt. A modular construction allowed us to consider different setups while keeping the overall design consistent.
One detail I like is how the keypad sits directly below the handle. It brings the two main interactions into one place and gives the product a clear, recognisable layout.
