Black electric kettle and two patterned mugs on a marble countertop under a gold-framed mirror and beside a vintage-style stained glass table lamp against a dark green wall.Marble-top table against dark green wall with two patterned mugs, black kettle, antique-style table lamp, and gold-framed mirror reflecting window and picture frame.

Designing a Premium Experience

Empowering Design Professionals with a Bespoke Digital Portal

Farrow & Ball is a globally recognised paint and wallpaper brand, celebrated for its craftsmanship, complex colours, and high-end aesthetic. With a loyal customer base across the UK and US, the brand is a staple for designers and homeowners seeking timeless, premium finishes. But while its physical products reflected this heritage, the digital tools available to its design community did not.

To bring its service offering in line with its premium positioning, Farrow & Ball partnered with The Pixel to develop a dedicated designer portal—a streamlined, branded platform supporting both in-house designers and third-party professionals. The result is a modern tool that redefines how design professionals interact with the brand, enhancing the customer experience and reinforcing Farrow & Ball’s market leadership across both the UK and US.

Smartphone screen showing Farrow & Ball website's Create a Project page with options to search and add project cover image.
Improved project visibility
Open paint can with light beige paint and paint swirl visible on surface casting a diagonal shadow.
Two woven pendant lamps hanging from the ceiling above framed abstract art and green plants near a window.
Faster, more efficient purchasing
A bedroom wall with two framed vintage sketches above a brass bed headboard, flanked by two black and gold wall sconces, with decorative pillows and plants visible.
Scalable framework
Mobile interface showing 'Inspiration Gallery' tab with a photo of multiple open doors aligned in a row revealing a person sitting in a chair at the far end.
the challenge

Creating a Designer Experience Worthy of the Brand

Farrow & Ball’s team of in-house designers needed tools to support direct collaboration with customers. At the same time, third-party professionals—including interior designers, decorators, and design studios—required a smoother, more self-sufficient way to plan, specify, and purchase products. The main challenges included:

Disjointed workflows: Designers relied on manual tools or piecemeal systems to manage projects and orders.

Limited purchase visibility: Ensuring the right product usage and tracking orders across teams was cumbersome.

No centralised portal: There was no unified platform to support the specific needs of design professionals.

Inconsistent brand experience: The digital process didn’t reflect Farrow & Ball’s premium, curated in-store and product experience.

The goal was clear: deliver a purpose-built platform that empowers all types of designers, supports direct-to-consumer collaboration, and elevates the brand’s digital presence.

Two smartphones showing a project management app with project details for Hobbs House and Taylor House under user Emily Harrold.Two smartphones showing a project management app with project details for Hobbs House and Taylor House under user Emily Harrold.
APPROACH

A Designer-First Tool with Brand at its Core

The Pixel brought together UX design expertise and Adobe Commerce experience to create a powerful, branded portal tailored for design professionals. Working closely with Farrow & Ball stakeholders, we focused on:

  • Crafting an intuitive workflow tool for both internal and external users
  • Designing a branded experience aligned with Farrow & Ball’s premium positioning
  • Building project management, inspiration, and purchasing tools into one portal
  • Planning for a soft launch in the US, followed by a UK rollout
  • Ensuring scalability and long-term support for future features
Three smartphone screens showing a project creation process on Farrow & Ball website, including project details input, instructions for project description, and a project summary for Hobbs House.Three smartphone screens showing a project creation process on Farrow & Ball website, including project details input, instructions for project description, and a project summary for Hobbs House.
SOLUTION

A Premium Digital Portal for Design Professionals

Phase 1: Discovery & Insights from Designers
We began with stakeholder workshops and feedback from user testing to uncover common pain points and opportunities for improvement. These insights directly shaped the feature set and user flow.

Phase 2: Building the Portal Around Real Design Workflows
The final portal includes:

  • Project management functionality to keep work structured and centralised
  • Mood board and image sourcing tools to support inspiration and specification
  • Product usage list ensuring the correct paints are selected and ordered
  • Barcode system for in-store tracking and validation
  • A unified purchasing view for easier ordering, especially for external agencies
SOLUTION

A Premium Digital Portal for Design Professionals

Phase 3: Supporting Dual Audiences with a Branded UX
The platform is fully branded and tailored to two distinct user types:In-house Farrow & Ball designers who work directly with customers
Third-party professionals who can now deliver a Farrow & Ball experience that matches the brand’s quality and sophistication

Phase 4: Launch Strategy and International Rollout
We developed the portal with phased market entry in mind. A soft launch in the US will be followed by a UK launch, supported by Farrow & Ball’s PR and marketing efforts to promote the platform within the design industry.

Three mobile screens showing a Farrow & Ball paint shopping app: a product overview with color swatches, a list of paint products with prices, and a detailed view of wood primer and undercoat.Three mobile screens showing a Farrow & Ball paint shopping app: a product overview with color swatches, a list of paint products with prices, and a detailed view of wood primer and undercoat.
RESULTS

A Seamless, Scalable Tool for Design Professionals

Still in its early stages, the Farrow & Ball designer portal is already being recognised as a game-changer for the brand’s design partners. By streamlining the journey from inspiration to purchase, the portal allows designers to offer a more curated, brand-aligned service to their clients.

  • Improved project visibility and accuracy across designer workflows
  • Faster, more efficient purchasing with product tracking and barcode integration
  • Deeper brand engagement through a fully branded digital tool
  • Scalable framework ready for future feature development and international growth
User dashboard screen for Emily on Farrow & Ball website showing two latest home renovation projects: Hobbs House with 4 spaces and project value of £697.50, status sent; Taylor House with 7 spaces and project value of £1697.50, status draft.User dashboard screen for Emily on Farrow & Ball website showing two latest home renovation projects: Hobbs House with 4 spaces and project value of £697.50, status sent; Taylor House with 7 spaces and project value of £1697.50, status draft.

Our Work