As an interior designer or homewares founder, your work is all about making a space both beautiful and functional. When it comes to your website, the same principles apply. 

But designing your brand’s online “home” doesn’t have to be a complicated, time-consuming process. Instead of diving into a custom (sometimes complex) experience, many designers – and service providers alike – are finding that opting for a personally-styled website template offers the ideal blend of visual appeal, ease, and efficiency. 

In this post, we’ll explore why you might prefer to book a website template styling service. It’s the simple, smart solution you’ve been seeking to expand your digital presence.

01 – Efficiency

When designing a website from the ground up, the number of decisions can feel overwhelming. It’s a tedious (and exhausting) process. From layout choices to the way you apply your brand’s colour palette and fonts, and establishing an ideal user experience.

And as you well know, time is of the essence when launching or refreshing your brand. The sooner you can get your website up and running? The sooner you can start attracting aligned clientele and generating revenue.

With a website template – like the ones TONIC and Northfolk have so beautifully created – much of the groundwork is already laid out for you. A pre-designed structure dramatically shortens the timeline for brand and website designers to work from. This efficiency allows you to focus more on curating the content and work you want to showcase rather than getting bogged down in countless design choices.

To intentionally launch all the pieces in one fell swoop, it might feel like you end up waiting forever and a day. At Duelle Made, we prioritize time well spent. So we’ve found this path of website template styling to pair nicely with our focused, one-week-long brand design process. In fact, we’ve seen clients go from concept to launch in as little as two months. This speed to market is especially beneficial for interior designers or homeware founders who need to make a strong impression quickly, whether for a product launch, feature in the press, a seasonal campaign, or any other time-sensitive moment.

02 – Compatibility with Project Collaborators 

Are you feeling it might be nice to work with both a brand/website designer and a copywriter? A collaboration across service providers can sometimes feel like quite a bit to coordinate and manage – on top of your growing list of business projects. 

This is one area where the case for a website template is really made. It provides a clear, standardized framework for everyone to work from. 

By providing this common ground, a template reduces the chance of miscommunication or drawn-out timelines. A copywriter who’s well-versed in a project like this will refer to your selected template as their guide when crafting your SEO-friendly website copy deck. Plus, they’ll often provide their expert recommendations for creating a high-quality experience for your readers based on the scope of your offers, process, and more. 

And with an aligned copy deck like that, your website designer’s life becomes much easier. Together, your team is able to work more smoothly behind the screen. That makes for a seamless collaboration from copy to design – with less back-and-forth revisions.

03 – Style Variety

While not the fully custom route, website templates come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. With so many to choose from, you’re unlikely to end up with a site that looks exactly like someone else’s. Sure, the options can be overwhelming if you’re DIY-ing. However, when working with a brand designer who offers website template styling, you’ll have their expert eye to guide you in choosing the template that closely aligns with your aesthetic preferences and established brand identity.

When collaborating with interior designers on a custom brand identity and website styling, we typically point them in the direction of TONIC or Northfolk templates. They’re not only aesthetically pleasing but also thoughtfully created with SEO and a reader’s experience in mind.

04 – User-friendly

Your website being user friendly for your readers is a leading priority. You want them to enjoy moving from one page to the next. When they do, it’s easier to keep them around. Before you know it, they’ll feel that the only natural next step is to complete your inquiry form (or buy your product). 

But it should also be smooth for you to use on the backend. This is one area where a fully custom website may fall short. Templates, on the other hand, are loaded into a drag-and-drop platform – Showit for interior designers, Shopify for homeware founders. The upside to that? They’re low risk. You won’t have to worry about a steep learning curve. Or worse, a tech code malfunction while your website designer is on vacation.

Additionally, the handoff from the website designer to you is smooth and straightforward. If you’re comfortable with basic technology, there shouldn’t be too much for you to learn. In the case of styling a website, most website designers (including Duelle Made) will provide tutorial videos and guides. You’ll learn how to use your new site, the need-to-know functions, and anything else that will help ensure it stays in good working order (like adding new projects or products).

05 – Scalability

Website templates are inherently scalable, which is great because your needs as a business owner are bound to grow and evolve. Do you wish to add new sections or pages, integrate additional features, or update your content? Templates offer a flexible foundation that can accommodate these subtle refinements without requiring you to invest more of your hard-earned money into a complete redesign. 

For example, both TONIC and Northfolk offer website add-ons. With sales pages, shop pages, links pages, and resources pages, you can fully complete the vision and goals you have for your online space.

06 – Approachability

When it comes to making any business investment, cost is often a driving factor. That’s why we’ve saved this point for last. It’s one of the most practical and universally important considerations: finding a balance between quality and affordability.

Going down the path of a custom-made website can be an expensive endeavor, often requiring a significant financial commitment upfront. While custom designs offer the benefit of being tailored exactly to your specifications, they can also come with hidden costs. These might include additional fees for revisions, unexpected coding needs and plug-ins, or regular maintenance. So it becomes difficult to predict your overall expenditure, which can strain your budget. 

Website templates, on the other hand, come at a much more foreseeable and manageable cost. When you choose a high-quality template from a reputable source like TONIC, Northfolk, or Shopify, you’re making a one-time investment that includes the general layout and the foundational features of your site. The savings you gain from opting for a template can be redirected toward other essential areas of your business. For instance, you might choose to allocate those funds to marketing efforts or expanding your team. This flexibility allows you to grow your business in a more balanced and strategic manner. You’ll ensure that your resources are utilized where they’ll have the most impact.

How do I choose the right website platform and template for my business?

When researching and preparing for a website buildout, you’ll likely stumble upon an assortment of platforms, each with their own strengths and features. Popular names like WordPress, Showit, Shopify, and Squarespace will come up. With so many options, you might feel unsure about which one is the best fit for your business. To make the process more effortless, our preferred platforms are:

• Showit – for interior designers (our service-based professionals), and
• Shopify – for homeware founders (our product-based professionals).

Each one is tailored to the specific needs of those users. However, there’s plenty of flexibility to blend functionalities – perfect for interior designers who also want to sell products. This approach allows you to showcase your services while maintaining a seamless online store.

And when it comes to choosing the style for your template? Here are some things to consider when making your decision: 

• Visual Appeal: Assess whether the template’s general design and layout aligns with your established brand identity.
• Features & Pages: Decide what matters to you (e.g., navigation, page structure). Also, consider how you want to engage your readers with your brand. Do you need a press page? What about individual project pages? Or even a dedicated space for sharing resources?  
• Updates & Additions: Your website will inevitably grow and evolve. Does the potential template have pieces you can add on when you’re ready? That way, you’re not left feeling bound to a particular flow or limited in what you’re able to share.

Creating a proper and visually appealing online space for your business can be done using website template styling. And done well. With the right approach, you’ll save time, maintain a unique appearance that truly represents your brand, and even have room to invest in other areas that will drive your success.

Here’s a little something extra: Enjoy 15% off your favourite template with the code “DUELLEMADE” at checkout on TONIC, Northfolk, or Shopify.

As a branding partner, Duelle Made is with you through every step and every decision. Inquire today to explore how a custom brand identity and website template styling package can make you proud to reveal your work – all while capturing the interests of potential clients you wish to serve more.