How we created a digital home for Kate Nixon through thoughtful Shopify site design

Photo: Kate Nixon

Balancing form and function, just like a well-designed interior

There’s an art to selling design services online. Get it wrong, and you end up with a cold, transactional website that feels more like an inventory spreadsheet than an extension of a creative brand. Too clinical, and it strips away the soul; too artsy, and it forgets that, at the end of the day, it needs to sell.

Kate Nixon knows a thing or two about balance. The celebrated interior designer and stylist has built a career on spaces that look effortlessly chic but always like home – the kind of places where you can enjoy with your friends or curl up in pyjamas, and both would feel right

But when it came to her online presence, there was a problem. Two, actually.

Her portfolio lived on one website. Her shop, where she sells curated homewares and collaborative designs, lived on another. Like a split personality, with neither fully working the way it should. Customers weren’t getting the right digital experience, and, let’s be honest, clicking between websites isn’t exactly a luxury design moment.

She needed a single, digital home that felt as polished, warm and intuitive as her interiors. Something that didn’t just house her work, but worked for her. So, we rolled up our sleeves, got strategic with Shopify and built a site that does exactly that.

The brief: one brand, two worlds and a digital dilemma

The Kate Nixon brand had two sides, each with its own website.

Its CloudCannon website showcased her interior design work: projects, services and a portfolio that showcased her career highlights. Meanwhile, her Shopify store was where she sold her carefully curated homewares and design collaborations.

The problem? They weren’t talking to each other.

Visitors had to jump between platforms, creating a disjointed experience that didn’t fully capture the essence of Kate’s brand. The portfolio site felt polished but wasn’t built for commerce. The Shopify store handled sales but lacked the refinement and storytelling that makes Kate’s work feel so personal.

Simply put, her online presence didn’t match the effortless elegance of her interiors.

So, the challenge was clear: bring both sides of her business together under one digital roof. A website that felt as curated as her designs, as intuitive as her styling, and as functional as a well-loved home.

That’s exactly what we set out to build.

The challenge: merging content, commerce and creativity

The first hurdle was years of content trapped on CloudCannon.

Kate’s blog was packed with design insights, the kind of content that builds trust and keeps people coming back. But manually moving hundreds of posts to Shopify would have been a logistical nightmare.

Matrixify to the rescue. We used it to migrate every post, every image, every ounce of storytelling without breaking links or undoing years of search rankings.

Next, the site itself.

A standard template wouldn’t cut it. This wasn’t your standard Shopify website design task – it was Kate’s brand, portfolio and philosophy all rolled into one.

Navigation had to flow, effortlessly. Whether visitors were admiring past projects, reading about the design process or shopping its curated collection, everything needed to feel connected – because it was. The design had to be more editorial than e-commerce. Think high-end magazine meets modern retail: clean, refined and detail layered upon detail, just like Kate’s interiors.

Brand integrity was non-negotiable. Every design decision served a purpose. The typography needed to echo the understated elegance of her interiors. Colours were selected to form a subtle palette which didn't distract from the work being presented  – nothing overly polished, nothing out of place. The layout: thoughtfully structured to guide, not overwhelm, allowing visitors to explore at their own pace.

It wasn’t a case of following trends or making something that simply “looked good”. The idea was to create a site that felt lived-in, layered and intuitive – just like the homes Kate Nixon designs.

The approach: finding the sweet spot between art and commerce

An online store can’t just be beautiful. It needs to work hard behind the scenes, helping customers find what they love and making purchasing feel effortless.

The approach? A digital experience that felt like a beautifully designed coffee table book: immersive and full of personality, but also structured to drive sales. It needed:

→ Navigation that feels like second nature. Whether browsing her work, reading about her design approach or shopping, the experience is smooth and seamless.

→ Storytelling-driven commerce, allowing visitors to grasp the design philosophy behind them. 

→ A platform built for growth. Supporting Kate’s furniture collaborations with Boyd Blue and future partnerships.

With Shopify, we had the flexibility to create a site that felt completely unique while ensuring functionality never took a back seat. Because in great design – whether in interiors or online – beauty and practicality should never be at odds.

The impact: measurable and meaningful

The new site harmonises her portfolio, design services and shop into a single, intuitive experience. So, visitors looking for design inspiration – or the perfect homeware piece – can find it without friction.

→ Visitors stay longer. The more intuitive layout and engaging storytelling means that users spend more time exploring – browsing design projects, reading blog posts and discovering products they might not have found otherwise.

→ SEO rankings have improved. Consolidating two separate sites into one streamlined Shopify store has strengthened Kate’s search visibility. Instead of competing against herself, her content now works together, improving rankings for key terms related to her design services and curated homewares.

→ The friction of jumping between two platforms is gone. Clients can transition straight from inspiration to purchase, without feeling like they’ve left one site for another.

→ Updating the site is no longer a chore. Shopify’s user-friendly backend means the Kate Nixon team can easily upload new products, update design projects and manage blog content, without relying on a developer for every small tweak.

→ A website that finally works for her. The new Shopify site has become an integral tool in her business, supporting both her design services and growing e-commerce brand.

Here’s what her team had to say about it:

“At every stage David was always available and an absolute pleasure to work with and he was genuinely invested in us getting the best possible result. His insight, quick response times and transparency to ensure we got the best result made the process extremely efficient from our end as a client. We would have no hesitation in recommending DAC Design for their approachability, professionalism, expert guidance and ability to deliver.”

The takeaway: balance form, function and brand identity

A website should work with a business, not against it. It needs to look the part, sure, but it also has to make life easier, tell the right story and bring everything together in a way that feels natural.

For Kate Nixon, that meant a site that carried the founder’s design philosophy beyond physical spaces. Somewhere her work, her words and her carefully chosen pieces could live side by side, effortlessly. Something that felt intentional, polished and, most of all, like her.

That’s the kind of digital work we love. Helping fellow creatives build something that works beautifully without losing what makes it theirs.

Kate Nixon found that perfect harmony between form, function, and brand. If you’re looking to achieve the same for your business, we’d be happy to explore what that could look like for you. Let’s create something truly memorable, together.