Aurelia

Aurelia is a fictional bottega in Florence. One gilder finds, restores and sells antique frames and mirrors, and fits them to paintings.

Shops like this sell to people who can't touch the object, and whose real question is whether it will fit their painting. I took Aurelia from brand idea to a working prototype: positioning, voice, structure, the visual system, and both sides of the site, the buyer's and the founder's.

I looked at how antique frames are sold online today: marketplace listings and framers' service pages. The same four gaps kept coming up, and each one became a part of the site. It was desk research, a starting point for a concept, not user research.

1. 01

   Will it fit?

   Today: one size line per listing, often only the rebate. Aurelia: sight, rebate and outer sizes drawn to scale, plus a live fit preview.

2. 02

   What is original?

   Today: “very good condition”, with losses and regilding rarely named. Aurelia: a gilding record, original and regilded gold, every loss photographed.

3. 03

   Who restores mine?

   Today: write, call, then trade photos by email before anyone can quote. Aurelia: one form with the issues, sizes and photos, and a fixed quote within five days.

4. 04

   How do I pay for a one-off?

   Today: contact the dealer, then arrange payment over email. Aurelia: enquire, a 72-hour hold, then a secure pay link sent from the admin.

1. 01

   See it on your painting

   Buyers enter a size, pick a standard French canvas size or upload a photo. The preview puts their painting into the real antique frame, adds the linen slip it needs, and sorts the collection by fit.

2. 02

   Every piece tells the truth

   Condition in plain sentences, the gilding record as a bar of original and regilded gold, and the three sizes framers use, drawn to scale. Each piece is available, in first look for Amici members, reserved or sold, and each state has its own next step.

3. 03

   From enquiry to a crate

   Every piece is one of a kind, so there is no cart. Buying follows the way a good dealer works in person: enquire, a 72-hour hold, pay by link or bank transfer, then crated and sent or collected in Florence.

4. 04

   The founder's to-do list

   One gilder runs the whole business, so the admin works like a to-do list. Every request shows its stage and the one button that moves it on: one inbox, four lanes for enquiries, frame matches, restorations and workshops.

The visual language comes from the bottega itself: gold on dark walls, ivory paper, red wax and old type.

The homepage opens like a gallery and ends at the workbench. Colour follows the visit: gallery black for the pieces, wine and crimson for the story and the invitation, ivory for the honest details.

1. 01

   Copperplate capital

   Pinyon Script for the A only: a gilder's flourish next to a printer's order.

2. 02

   Display

   Bodoni Moda in capitals, never louder than the photograph.

3. 03

   Accent

   One italic phrase per heading, like a note written by hand.

4. 04

   Reading

   Albert Sans for sizes, prices, forms and the admin, where clarity matters most.

5. 05

   Voice

   Facts instead of adjectives: “worn to the bole on the high points, left as found” instead of “excellent condition”.

The buyer's side and the founder's side work together in one prototype: frame matching, the piece pages, the four-step purchase, and the admin that moves each request on.

A platform keeps working after launch day, and so would I. With the owner, I'd look at a few clear signals and adjust the site and the admin to what they show.

1. 01

   Enquiries with the fit checked

   How many enquiries arrive with the size already checked in frame matching, so the gilder spends less time on email.

2. 02

   The first look

   Whether the 72-hour first look makes Amici members buy sooner, or only look sooner.

3. 03

   Restoration quotes

   How long it takes from restoration photos to a sent quote, and where the admin can save more time.