Welcome to back to our series of redesigning existing websites with our UX expertise!
Each month, our UX designer Tom is taking an existing ecommerce website and transforming it with UX expertise. Rethinking, redesigning and revamping the ecommerce experience and demonstrating the impact that small design changes can have. There’s no client brief and no pitches. Just a bit of web design fun backed by solid UX design thinking.
This month, we’re taking a look at Kitchen Provisions, a kitchen equipment retailer. As Tom is a true foodie at heart, is totally obsessed with cooking and is an existing Kitchen Provisions customer, it’s the perfect site for him to spot what works and what doesn’t. Without further ado, let’s jump in…
What we noticed about the original site
As someone who values well-designed tools and high-quality kitchenware, Tom instantly recognised where the Kitchen Provisions site could better reflect the brand’s personality. But after researching further, he discovered something more specific: Most customers come to the site not just to shop, but to explore. They’re often passionate about cooking, curious about Japanese knives, or looking to invest in something long-lasting and beautiful. The online experience, therefore, needed to feel just as curated and engaging as their in-store experience.
“People shopping here aren’t rushing. They’re looking for something considered, something with craftsmanship, story and quality behind it.” Tom, UX Designer
That key insight shifted the design strategy. It wasn’t about pushing products, it was about inviting people into a slower, more intentional journey. From sharpening the product presentation to introducing storytelling elements and improving layout clarity, every tweak was made to create a digital experience that celebrates expertise, design and discovery.
Here’s what we changed & why
1. Strengthened brand identity
Tom replaced the lifeless grey tones with richer colours drawn from the Kitchen Provisions visual identity. This created instant brand continuity and made the site feel grounded in the same atmosphere customers get in-store.
2. Improved Storytelling
The new hero section now features striking photography of the store’s iconic knife wall. Bold, concise copy complements the image, instantly conveying expertise, heritage and value.
3. USP Iconography
Tom introduced character-inspired icons to visualise key selling points like premium blade expertise and free knife sharpening. These stylised visuals deliver clarity, reinforce trust and match the site’s illustration style.
4. Reviews
Instead of hiding reviews deep in the layout, Tom added a prominent review banner featuring customer quotes and star ratings. These social proof elements now instantly build credibility without requiring extra clicks.
5. Category Blocks
Previously oversize and visually heavy, category blocks became leaner and more consistent. Tight margins, balanced spacing and simplified labels improved readability and responsiveness.
6. Mobile-First Product Cards
On mobile, product cards became cleaner and larger. Backgrounds were removed, product imagery was given breathing space, and hierarchy in product titling (Brand, Type, Name) was introduced. A carousel layout reduced page length and improved load times.
7. Enhanced ‘Visit Us’ Section
Location cards were lengthened for better visual breathing room and provided clickable arrow navigation. This made it much clearer that visitors could explore multiple store locations.
8. Improved Blog Styling
Yellow blog titles were replaced for better accessibility, and card designs were aligned with the new visual language. The result is a cohesive experience across editorial and ecommerce pages.
9. Reviews Integration
Tom pulled full customer reviews into the mobile layout with visible quotes and author imagery, eliminating extra taps required to read feedback while retaining design consistency.
The key takeaways
Ultimately, this redesign was about more than just making the site look good, it was about creating a digital space that reflects the same care, expertise and craftsmanship that Kitchen Provisions is known for in-store. By combining richer brand visuals, stronger storytelling and subtle UX improvements, we turned the browsing experience into something slower, more intentional and rewarding. It’s another reminder that the smallest design decisions can make the biggest impact when they align with how customers truly shop and we can’t wait to see which site we’ll transform next month.
We hope you enjoyed this UX overhaul! We’ll be doing one of these UX redesigns every month, choosing a real ecommerce website and showing how clever UX design can create a smoother, more effective experience.
Got a site you think we should take a look at? Send it our way! And if you’re wondering what a full Limely-designed UX could do for your own site, you know where we are. And it doesn’t matter whether your existing site is built on Shopify, Magento, Hyvä or something else, we can wave our magic wands on any ecommerce platform.
