
Service
Development of a new WordPress website with a custom portfolio and some unique interactivity via modern CSS and JavaScript.
Technologies Used
Custom Code Written
- 1 custom plugin
- 1 custom theme based on Genesis starter
- 3300+ lines of Sass
- 500+ lines of PHP/HTML
- 100+ lines of JavaScript/jQuery
Designed By
Katie Saunders of Pop & Grey
The Vision
West Trade Interiors needed a rebrand and a new website to help them grow their business. Their current brand and website weren't doing them any favors, and the style didn't match the caliber of spaces they were designing for their clients.
They selected a strategic partner for this process—Katie Saunders of Pop & Grey—who specializes in branding for interior design companies. And...they were off!
The Challenges
Right before the development phase on this project was scheduled to begin, the world was turned upside down by COVID-19.
Interior design done the traditional way was halted by social distancing measures, so WTI really needed to get the new site launched as quickly as possible so they could promote their virtual design services during quarantine.
Of course, many other businesses also desperately needed their website projects completed as quickly as possible to replace some of their lost income. I was slammed, working my normal workweek as well as evenings and as much as possible on weekends.
I was determined to help as much as I could, and turning around WTI's project on a tighter-than-usual timeline was something I could do.
The Process
Before I got started, I had to grab some existing blog content from WTI's current site on Duda. Duda doesn't have any easy export options for blog posts, so I had to do the ol' manual copy-paste of the content. I even had to download the images from the live posts since I couldn't get them from Duda's backend! Luckily, there wasn't a ton of existing content, so it didn't take too long.
Other than those blog posts, I was starting from scratch on a totally new WordPress install. I initially develop all projects on my local machine so that sites under construction aren't visible to the world, so I spun up WordPress for the new site and dug in right away.
First, I knocked out building and styling the inner pages: about, contact, services, and press. These mainly static pages are usually the quickest to develop and gave me a big leg up on site completion.
Once those were done, I created a hand-coded custom post type for portfolio galleries inside a new plugin. ACF powered content entry for these portfolio items, and I uploaded all content for a couple of portfolio items so that I could style and test them.
After the portfolio, I tackled the blog. And, for the crown jewel on top, the homepage!
Many developers start with the homepage, but I generally leave it for the end of the project because homepages tend to contain lots of elements from across the site: blog posts, content taken from other pages, etc. I'm able to reuse the styles I wrote for those other pages here, making my sites a little bit lighter-weight than they would be otherwise.
The Results
WTI was able to launch their absolutely gorgeous new site in May, a little ahead of our timeline AND with a bit more complexity than originally planned! They were able to start promoting their virtual design services, and were thrilled with both the look of the new site and how easy it was to keep the site content up to date themselves.
Site screencaps






The client's opinion

Katie Saunders, Pop & Grey
What went into choosing the developer you would work with?
"This was a really creative project, and I knew I needed a developer who could bring it to life how I envisioned without telling me some of the little details weren't possible. Besides the creative ability, one of the most important things I need in a developer is a good communicator who is highly organized and can finish the work on time, and Megan is really good with this. I love your streamlined process and the way I can see things getting checked off in Asana and know you're on track."
What was the one most positive thing about working with me?
"The fact that you worked hard to make sure everything was up to my standards. I so appreciated that you continued to work on the press page when it wasn't as user friendly as I would have liked. I respect that you're super upfront with your policies and boundaries, but also really appreciate that you make sure you deliver above and beyond."
How did your client respond to the finished product?
"WTI loves the look of their new site and how easy it is to update themselves."
Would you recommend me to someone else? Why or why not?
"Absolutely. You always deliver what you promise."
Ready to hand off development of your next project to a developer you can trust?
