01Home
An opening that lets the wood do the talking.
Case Study, Custom Furniture & Woodcraft
Handcrafted work deserves a handcrafted presence.
Live-edge · Walnut
The Catalogue
River tables
Epoxy & Resin
Custom commissions
Hand-Cut Signs
Client
Pura Vida Wood Co.
Industry
Custom Furniture
Service
Web Design & Brand
Location
Guelph, ON
Anatomy of a Page
Five decisions that made the homepage.
Click or hover a marker, each one notes a design decision we obsessed over before the site shipped.
01
02
03
04
05
- 01
Editorial serif sets the tone
A magazine-weight serif tells the visitor this is a studio, not a marketplace.
- 02
Category-led catalogue
Eight clear wings, dining, coffee, epoxy, bars, beds, lumber, signs, statement.
- 03
Process strip, not a brochure
Slab → mill → finish → deliver, the same rhythm Josh walks every customer through.
- 04
Founder block in his voice
A grounded About paragraph, direct, no overselling, no stock copy.
- 05
Quiet inquiry close
The footer doesn't shout. It just asks what you want built, and how to reach you.
The Catalogue · 8 specimens
Eight wings of one workshop.
We built the site around a real catalogue, not a feed. Every piece sits in one of eight categories, each tagged like a specimen, species, dimensions, finish, lead time. Visitors arrive already pre-sold on the work; buyers arrive already knowing what to ask for.
Dining
01Live-edge walnut
Species····························································Black walnut
Edge····························································Live
Finish····························································Hardwax oil
Origin····························································Guelph, ON
Coffee & Console
02Walnut coffee
Species····························································Walnut
Edge····························································Live
Base····························································Hand-forged steel
Build····························································On commission
Epoxy & Resin
03River table
Species····························································Walnut + resin
Pour····························································Two-stage
Finish····························································Hand-polished
Lead····························································8–12 weeks
Commercial Bars
04Walnut bar top
Species····························································Walnut
Length····························································Up to 16 ft
Finish····························································Food-safe oil
Use········································· ···················Restaurant
Beds
05Maple platform
Species····························································Maple
Frame··············································· ·············Mortise & tenon
Sizes····························································Queen / King
Build····························································On commission
Lumber & Slabs
06Raw stock
Stock····························································Air-dried
Cuts····························································Live, book-match
Species····························································Walnut, oak, maple
Sold····························································By the slab
Signs
07Hand-cut signage
Cut····························································Hand-routed
Stain····························································Custom
Use····························································Storefront, home
Build····························································Custom only
Statement
08Veneer console
Species··········· ·················································Exotic veneer
Form····························································Console
Finish····························································Lacquered
Edition····························································One-off
Typography Direction
A serif with a little weight.
Display · 96 / 0.95
Built by hand.
Sold by craft.
Heading · 32 / 1.1
Every grain tells its own story.
Body · 17 / 1.65
Pura Vida Wood Co. is a custom furniture studio based in Guelph, Ontario, building live-edge tables, epoxy river pieces, and commercial bar tops by hand.
Eyebrow · TrackedaA · Bb · 01–09
Color Story
Five tones, drawn from the slab.
Walnut
#3B2418
Heirloom
Saddle
#8B5A2B
Warm
Honey Oak
#C4925A
Grounded
Epoxy Black
#0F0F10
River
Raw Linen
#E8DCC4
Studio
02, The Build
A site that lets the wood speak.
We built the site as a portfolio first, not a brochure. Full-bleed photography of the grain, the river epoxy lines, and the hand-cut joints, the work introduces itself before any copy does.
Pieces are organised by category so buyers find what they want without hunting. A streamlined custom-quote intake lets them describe a piece, dimensions, and wood preference in a minute, the kind of conversation Josh wants to be having.
"Slow-milled. Hand-cut. Made to outlast us."
- Image-forward design, full-width photography across every page
- Catalogue organised by category and use case
- Lightweight custom-quote intake, wood, dimensions, intent
- Founder block in Josh's own voice
- Process page that walks slab → final coat
- Mobile-first across every page
- SEO tuned for Guelph custom-furniture searches
Inside the Site
Five pages, one workshop.
Drag or scroll the row below, five page screenshots from the new site, in the order a buyer actually moves through them.
02About
Josh Sloot's voice, why every piece takes time.
03Work
An organised catalogue, eight wings of the workshop.
04Process
From slab selection to final coat, the steps behind a piece.
05Inquire
A short, considered intake, wood, dimensions, intent.
Scroll →
01, The Workshop
When the work outpaces the website.
Pura Vida builds slow, careful furniture by hand, live-edge walnut tables, epoxy river pieces, hand-cut commercial bar tops. People drive across Ontario to commission a piece.
The old site didn't reflect any of that. A generic local-business template, no real photography, and a catalogue customers couldn't actually browse.
- No real showcase of the craftsmanship
- Hard to explore the catalogue or request a custom piece
- No story behind the work or the makers
- Mobile experience that didn't reflect a premium studio
Drag to compare, before & after
Before
After
← Drag to compare →
Responsive Experience
Equally considered on every screen.
Designed phone-up, the full catalogue, inquiry flow, and brand story work flawlessly from a 320px screen to a 27″ display.
100%
Mobile-first build
3×
Faster load vs. old site
AA
WCAG contrast ratio
03, The Result
A presence that finally matches the work.
The new site changed what arrives in the inbox. Buyers come in already knowing what Pura Vida Wood Co. makes, they've seen the catalogue, they understand the timeline, and they're inquiring for the right reasons.
The site has become a real sales tool, not a brochure. The kind of presence handcrafted work has always deserved.
Project Specs
── Pura Vida × Vortio ──
Project specifications
Project····························································Custom furniture studio site
Sections····························································16 long-scroll
Catalogue····························································8 categories
Mobile····························································0%
Inquiries····························································+1yr vs prior
Origin····························································Guelph, ON
Finish····························································Editorial serif · Walnut accent
Lead time····························································6 weeks · design + build
Lot · 2026
Built by Vortio
In Their Words
“We build everything by hand, and our old website didn't reflect that at all. Vortio gave us a clean, polished site that actually shows the craftsmanship, customers arrive knowing exactly what we do.”
Josh Sloot · Owner, Pura Vida Wood Co.
Watch the Build
Behind the workshop. The full story.
Visit the Live Site
See it in motion.
The full experience lives at puravidawoodco.com, the photography, the catalogue, the studio, all of it.
puravidawoodco.comNext ProjectContinue →
Katherine Seiggel Designs
Have a project in mind?
Tell us about your business and we'll map out the right path forward, website, brand, automation, or all of it.
Start the Conversation