Case Study
McKinnon and Harris
Designing a luxurious digital experience for a high-performance, upscale outdoor furniture company
01
The Challenge
To design and build a website that mirrors the McKinnon and Harris brand and products in beauty, performance, and craftsmanship.
02
The Approach
A thoughtful discovery process, close collaboration with stakeholders, and strategic technical considerations to deliver a precise and delightful solution.
03
The Outcome
A beautiful, immersive digital experience that tells the McKinnon and Harris story and showcases their products with authenticity and elegance.
Client Introduction
About McKinnon and Harris
McKinnon and Harris handcrafts high-performance, luxury outdoor furniture for estate, garden, and yacht. Founded in 1991 in Richmond, Virginia by a brother and sister, the company exudes tradition and creates quality heirlooms made to last for generations.
Project at a Glance
What Our Team Provided
Solutions
- Websites
- Search & Discovery
- Ecommerce
How it started
Elevating the brand experience online.
When we started working with McKinnon and Harris, their website was a poor reflection of their brand; it lacked the grandeur and attention to detail that was expressed through every other facet of the business. We set out to design a digital experience that would be as dignified and lasting as their furniture, bringing the brand’s digital presence up-to-speed and heralding McKinnon and Harris into a new era.
Research and Discovery
Telling the McKinnon and Harris story.
We embarked upon an extensive research and discovery process to understand the needs and desires of McKinnon and Harris and their customers. As we uncovered what differentiated McKinnon and Harris from competitors, it was important for the website to serve as an avenue for telling their story. It also needed to feature their extraordinary furniture in a way that appealed to designers and customers while also serving as a useful tool for their sales team.
UX Strategy & UI Design
Designing for ease, exploration and beauty.
Our strategy centered around creating an experience that was both awe-inspiring and practical. We spent a good amount of time ensuring that the navigation was intuitive and explorative. On the individual pages, storytelling and narrative-driven content took center stage, including the stories behind the name of every collection and finish color. The overall design was immersive and beautifully expressed the nature of the brand, featuring large scale imagery and videos.
Development
Powerful and empowering.
We employed a modern, powerful technology stack that empowers the McKinnon and Harris marketing and sales teams. Built on Craft CMS, the website includes a flexible publishing experience and a Salesforce integration. Other development highlights include a customer portal to save and share furniture favorites, and a robust search and discovery experience powered by Algolia.
The end result
Built to last.
We can’t help but think of the parallels between the enduring qualities of McKinnon and Harris furniture and the new website we built for them. While the website won’t last for generations like their furniture will, we designed and built the site to be as timeless as possible, serving the company and their customers for many years to come.
Client Testimonials
"We wanted our website to closely mirror the beauty and quality of McKinnon and Harris furniture and to immerse the visitor in our story of fine hand-craftsmanship and family. Foster Made invited us to participate in the design process right from the start and we worked together as a team to bring our vision to life."
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