Let’s talk about a rabbit hole I’ve just tumbled down: custom keyboards. If you’ve never explored this world before, prepare yourself—it’s part art gallery, part engineering lab, and 100% Geek!! As a designer and developer who spends an ungodly number of hours at a keyboard, I never thought much about the device itself beyond, “Does it work with my Mac?” and, “Does it look cool on my desk?”
But then I discovered the custom keyboards! It’s a whole new world of design aesthetics, functionality and endless possibilities for customising the looks, function, feel and most importantly the sound of your keyboard. Yep you read that right, the ‘thonk’ that each key makes can be custom tailored to your particular preferences. As can the distance of travel, actuation point, feel and on and on it goes!
Why Custom Keyboards?
The first thing you’ll notice about this niche is that it’s unapologetically geeky in the best way possible. People obsess over the tiniest details—switch types, stabilisers, keycap profiles, polling rate, sound dampening and PCB layouts (I barely know what half of those things mean yet). But it’s not just about functionality; it’s about creating something personal, something beautiful, something that feels right when you type.
As someone who values aesthetics, I can’t help but admire the creativity on display. Custom keyboards aren’t just tools; they’re works of art, ranging from minimalist slabs of aluminum to neon-soaked rainbow fantasies.
My First Custom Keyboard: The NuPhy Air75 v2
After much window shopping (and a little internal justification about why I “needed” this – many of the letters had worn off my keyboard), I settled on the NuPhy Air75v2, along with Carmine Cloud keycaps and CherryBrown switches. Let me tell you, this keyboard is gorgeous. It came nicely packaged with some extra switches and keycaps, has RGB back-lighting. Despite being low-profile, It’s quite a bit a bit taller than the ultra-slim Apple Amagic keyboard that it replaces but it looks nice on my desk!
The Air75 itself is sleek and low-profile—perfect for a Mac user like me who gravitates toward clean, modern design.
The Carmine Cloud keycaps are where things get playful: they’re a mix of bold purple accents and soft pastel tones that scream personality without feeling overwhelming. Apparently the take their inspirations from the scenes of sunset on a beach, by…
“encapsulating the varying shades and colors of sky hours before the night sets in. The violet-tinted afterglow of the blue hour transits to the rosy cloud of the nautical twilight, which melts into the orange-yellow radiance of the golden hour at the bottom. A few personalized keycaps with symbols of star, moon, cloud, bird coming back to the nest, sunset, and sailboat are included to add a bit of zing to the color cocktail.”
Carmine Cloud Keycaps
And the Cherry Brown switches? They’ve got just enough tactile feedback to feel satisfying, but they’re quiet enough that I won’t drive my family nuts. (A small mercy, really.)
The Build Experience (Or Lack Thereof)
Now, full disclosure: I didn’t build this keyboard from scratch. While that’s the ultimate badge of honour in the custom keyboard world, I’m not quite ready to start soldering PCBs in my office. Thankfully, brands like NuPhy make it easy for beginners like me to dip a toe in the water without committing to a full-on DIY project.
Even so, swapping out the stock keycaps for the a couple of the alternatives set felt like a mini victory. I actually got to wield a keycap puller—a tiny tool that looks like something James Bond would use to defuse a bomb—and customize my keyboard to make it uniquely mine. I’ll swap all of the keycaps to the Carmine Cloud one for the summer, but so far I’ve just swapped the ALT keys and changed the colour of the ‘Enter’ ‘and ‘Esc’ keys. I also swapped the right ALT key for one with a little cat on it!
Sample Switches and Switch Puller
I also played around with the VIA configurator that allows you to configure what each key does. I had to change a couple of things to make it work like the UK ISO Mac keyboard that I’m used to.
The Aesthetic Obsession
Here’s the thing: I’m more enamored with how this keyboard looks than how it types. Don’t get me wrong, typing on it is great, even for a terrible typist such as me, but the real joy is seeing it sit on my desk, quietly elevating the entire vibe of my workspace. It’s like having a functional piece of art at my fingertips.
NuPhy Air75 on my desk
It’s funny, really. I’ve spent years thinking of keyboards as purely utilitarian. Now, I’m beginning to see them as an extension of my style, a way to bring a little extra joy to my day. No doubt it’ll spread out into an entire re-design of my office!
What’s Next?
Of course, as with bikes, windsurf boards, tents and other toys, one keyboard is never enough. I’ve already started browsing other keycap sets, started wondering what different switches will feel and sound like, and wondering if I could build something from scratch one day.
But for now, I’m enjoying the NuPhy Air75 v2 for what it is—a perfect introduction to this geeky, beautiful world. It’s not just a keyboard; it’s a gateway into a creativity, craftsmanship, and the simple pleasure of a great typing experience.
If you’re even a little bit curious, I highly recommend diving in. You don’t have to be a hardcore developer or gamer to appreciate the charm of a custom keyboard. All you need is a love of great design—and maybe a little patience for all the rabbit holes you’re about to explore.
And trust me, it’s worth it. Even if your keyboard ends up being more aesthetic than functional, at least it’ll look really cool while you’re googling “What are hot-swappable switches?”
Have you fallen into the custom keyboard rabbit hole? Share your favorite finds in the comments—I’m always looking for inspiration!
Alan is a Freelance Website Designer, Sports & Exercise Science Lab Technician and full time Dad & husband with far too many hobbies: Triathlete, Swimming, Cycling, Running, MTBing, Surfing, Windsurfing, SUPing, Gardening, Photography.... The list goes on.
It does look ,dare I use the word pretty ?
It makes you happy and that’s the main thing