Case study · Website for a craftsperson
A website that brings complete requests to a Bordeaux upholsterer.
Atelier Passepoil is an upholstery workshop imagined for this demonstration, with a realistic brief: become known in Bordeaux, explain a craft that customers rarely understand, and receive quote requests that can be answered from the very first message.
Starting point
An upholsterer often receives requests that cannot be priced: “how much to redo my armchair?”, with no photo, no dimensions and no idea of the kind of padding. Every quote then takes several back-and-forths, and some prospects give up along the way.
The website therefore has three jobs: explain the craft without jargon, reassure about the process and price ranges, and collect a complete request: type of seat, condition, preferred padding, fabric, timing, photos.
What was designed
- A clear entrance: what the workshop does, where, and a quote button on the first screen.
- Three areas of expertise explained with their uses: traditional upholstery, contemporary padding, fabrics and finishes.
- The process in four steps, from photos in the first message to delivery.
- Indicative prices in a table, excluding fabric, so visitors can place themselves before writing.
- A guided quote request: type of seat, quantity, padding, observed condition, fabric, timing, photos and contact details. A summary appears before sending.
- The workshop: address, opening hours, delivery area and professional guarantees.
Design choices
An identity drawn from materials. Linen, canvas, wood, brass: the palette comes from the workshop, not from a website template. Headings are set in a serif, body text in Manrope, for comfortable reading and the tone of a craftsperson rather than a start-up.
Images that tell the workshop’s story. Hands at work, materials, a delivered armchair, the workshop under its skylight: six images created for the demonstration, in one consistent light, show what real workshop photos bring. For a client, their own photos take their place without touching the structure.
Mobile first. Columns collapse, the price table scrolls, the form keeps wide fields and easy-to-tap options.
Local search. Title and description name the craft and the city, the copy mentions the neighbourhood and delivery area, and the structure is ready for a business listing. In this demonstration the page is deliberately not indexed: the workshop does not exist.
Under the hood
One HTML page, one stylesheet, a short script for the request summary. Images are served in two sizes and loaded on demand. No dependencies, no third-party tools, no cookie banner to manage. The page loads in a fraction of a second and stays easy to edit.
The form is ready to be connected to the workshop’s mailbox, with an acknowledgement sent to the customer. In the demonstration, the summary is shown on screen and nothing is sent.
What a workshop would receive
- The complete website, its source files and publication on hosting in its own name.
- Copy adapted to its activity, real prices and opening hours.
- The form connected to its e-mail address, tested together.
- Handover notes: change a price, add a photo, update the hours.
Scope, price and timeline are set out in a quote before work starts. A website of this kind takes a few weeks, content provided.
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Atelier Passepoil is a fictional business created for this case study. The prices, address and contact details shown on the demonstration site are examples; the images are illustrations created for the demonstration. Nothing entered in its form is sent or stored.