鑰匙的歷史有多久呢，好像已經久到沒辦法說清楚了。古羅馬有一個叫龐比的古城，在公元79年被火山爆發的灰塵覆鋪，整座城倒是保存了下來，考古團隊就曾在城市裡發現一把鑰匙，樣式和結構與現代的鑰匙無異，保守估計下，鑰匙的設計原來已經有兩千年以上歷史了。
近日nendo設計了一款「L-door key」，一改這兩千年來的傳統設計，可能有人疑惑，鑰匙還有改款的可能嗎？這麼久的設計有修改必要嗎？而這真的有必要，一般人使用鑰匙的時候，就算是自己家裡用的鑰匙，也有搞錯方向的可能，常常地來回插進兩次才能把門打開。但nendo就在傳統的鑰匙樣式上，將鑰匙的把手拉闊，做成扁平狀，讓你一眼就能對準鑰匙孔插入，使每天開門鎖的動作更得心應手。此外這把「L-shaped brass key」還有一個好處，就是有時候鑰匙太小一把，或者因為老化而不好使力時，這塊扁平狀把手就能幫你一把，活用槓桿作用，輕鬆地轉動鑰匙開鎖。著實提升生活品質的同時，也讓人審視設計的可能性，而最起碼在設計這領域上，老祖宗的智慧不一定等同是最好的設計。
Keys have existed for so long that it is difficult to find out how and when exactly they came about. Back in year 79 A.D., the ancient Roman city of Pompeii was engulfed by ash and rock following a volcanic eruption. Years and years later, archaeologists began to uncover the ruined city, and among the numerous artefacts and other items discovered, there are keys which have a style and structure nearly the same as that of their modern equivalent. It’s safe to say that the discovery of Pompeii has proven that keys have at least two thousand years of history.
nendo has recently unveiled a new L-shaped key design called L-door key. Some might wonder: how can the key design be bettered? Or, is it necessary to redesign a key at all? Personally, I think this revisitation of traditional key design is necessary for the fact that I am one of those who always turn the key the wrong way and it is not unusual for me to try at least twice or triple to get the lock opened. The L-door key comes in handy in those situations. Without adding any extra elements to the standard key design, nendo has molded the key bow into L-shaped so you can easily tell the correct orientation of the key from its asymmetrical shape. Besides, the L-shaped bow is much easier to grip on and works just like a hex key. Traditional key might not necessarily be the perfect design, but it is a source of inspiration for better designs. One way or another, nendo’s L-door key is going to make our life easier.
