Giving a Cumbrian workshop a stage worthy of its craft
(Context)
Helm Works is a team of craftsmen in Penrith, Cumbria. They design and make bespoke presentation boxes, luxury packaging, furniture and brand objects, working in timber, metals, leather and the combinations between them.
Their clients are distilleries, luxury brands, design agencies and interior designers, in the UK and abroad. The founders run every project themselves, and much of the work is under NDA.
We designed and built their new website, which launched in October 2026.
(Challenge)
Helm Works sells something you normally have to hold to judge: the fit of a lid, the weight of a case, the finish on a piece of walnut. The website had to carry that feeling through a screen.
It also had to work with very little public proof. Most of the best projects can never be shown, there is no price list, and every piece is quoted individually. Buyers still needed enough to trust the workshop and pick up the phone.
And it had to speak to very different people at once: a brand manager with a launch date, an agency designing to a cost, and an interior designer with a single commission.
(Solution)
The site leads with the work and the workshop. Large photography of timber, brass and leather on the bench does the selling, and the copy stays short and calm, so the pages feel as considered as the pieces.
A capabilities page walks a buyer from first idea to delivery in six stages, including the golden sample every run is checked against. It answers the questions that come up on every first call: lead times, minimum orders, materials, UK production, visits and confidentiality.
Two full case studies, a Rollbit poker set and a range of heavy-duty flight cases, follow each piece from brief to finished object. They show the process in detail without leaning on work that is under NDA.
The workshop page introduces the two founders by name, the values behind the mark and the address in Penrith, with visits by appointment. Every page ends on the same invitation to discuss a project, so there is always one clear next step.
- A homepage that sets out three areas of work: packaging and presentation, furniture and interiors, and gifting and brand objects
- A capabilities page covering six disciplines, materials, pricing, agency work, the sectors served and first-call questions
- Two case studies told step by step, from brief to finished piece
- A workshop page with the founders, values, visiting details and phone numbers
- A single, repeated enquiry route on every page
(Highlights)
Craft shown, not described
Workshop photography carries the pages: makers at the bench, materials side by side and finished pieces in close detail.
Answers before the first call
Lead times, minimum orders, pricing, UK production and NDAs are answered openly on the capabilities page, so enquiries arrive better informed.
Proof that respects NDAs
Two detailed case studies show how the workshop thinks and works, while the site is honest that much of what it makes cannot be shown.
People, not account managers
The founders are named on the workshop page, with direct phone numbers and an open invitation to visit.
“From the first conversation it was clear that they were going to be able to help us get our website up and running. Once they had the information it was converted very quickly into a professional website which suits our needs perfectly.”
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