Curated vintage, presented
with care
Yarnold Antiques is a specialist vintage and antiques business based in the Cotswolds. Every piece is personally sourced, restored where needed, and sold with provenance and care. The business had outgrown Instagram DMs and needed a proper online presence.
We built an e-commerce platform and brand identity that reflects the quality and character of the stock. Not a generic Shopify template, something with the same attention to detail that Jess puts into sourcing every piece.
The site serves as both a catalogue and a shop, with an enquiry system for higher-value items and direct purchase for smaller pieces. Photography, product descriptions, and the entire brand experience were designed to feel premium without being pretentious.
Selling antiques in a
digital market
Antiques are tactile. People want to see the patina, feel the weight, understand the history. Selling them online means overcoming the fundamental limitation of not being able to touch the product. Most antiques dealers solve this with poor photography and long text descriptions. Neither works.
The challenge was creating an online experience that captured the character of each piece. That meant investing in photography direction, writing descriptions that tell a story rather than list dimensions, and designing a browsing experience that feels curated rather than overwhelming. The enquiry system needed to feel personal, not transactional, because that's how Jess sells.
Every feature earned its place
Brand identity
Complete visual identity that reflects the business: warm, considered, and authentic. Logo, colour palette, typography, and tone of voice that works across web, packaging, and social media.
Product catalogue
Browseable catalogue with filtering by category, era, and price range. Each item presented with multiple photographs, provenance information, and a story about the piece.
Enquiry system
For higher-value or unique pieces, a personal enquiry flow rather than a cold "add to cart" button. Enquiries go directly to Jess with full item context, enabling a personal conversation.
Direct purchase
For smaller items and accessories, a streamlined checkout with Stripe payments. Simple, fast, and secure. No unnecessary steps between "I want this" and "it's mine."
Content management
Payload CMS giving Jess full control over listings. New items can be photographed, described, and published in minutes. Stock status updates automatically when items sell.
Photography direction
Art direction for product photography that captures character, not just appearance. Consistent lighting, styling, and composition across the entire catalogue. Each image tells a story.
A business that works
beyond Instagram
Yarnold Antiques now has a proper online presence that matches the quality of the stock. The site drives 40% of total sales, with the enquiry system handling the higher-value conversations that used to happen over Instagram DMs.
New items go from sourced to listed within hours. The brand identity carries through from the website to packaging to social media. Customers regularly comment on the quality of the online experience, which is exactly the point. When you sell beautiful things, the way you present them matters.