A place to keep visual references

A desktop vault for collecting, organizing, and revisiting visual references.

RefNest reference library with folder navigation and a grid of original ceramic, architectural, and abstract studies. — 01 / The reference libraryRefined product views based on the app. All reference artwork has been replaced with original AI-generated studies.

The problem

References pile up in folders, chats, and browser tabs. Collecting one is easy; finding it again months later is not.

The approach

A desktop vault built on Tauri, with the system logic in Bun rather than the Rust runtime, so collecting, organizing, and revisiting stay one continuous motion.

Inside the product

One place to start.

Capture a website, import files, create a folder, or jump to a collection. The command palette puts those actions beside search, so moving through the vault starts in one place.

RefNest command palette with capture, import, generate, workspace, and folder actions. — 02 / One place to start.View full-size image

Inside the product

Make the next reference.

Write a prompt and choose the model, size, quality, and style from the generation panel. New images save into the generated folder, alongside the references already in the vault.

RefNest image-generation panel showing a ceramic-lamp prompt and model, size, quality, and style controls. — 03 / Make the next reference.View full-size image

More tools, systems, and experiments.

Back to all work

Next projectISN Lab Research you can look at