Case Study: The Rustic Barn, Farmhouse home decor and handcrafted furniture stores in Killingworth, CT
The Rustic Barn
In the small Connecticut town of Killingworth you will find a couple living the true farmhouse lifestyle. Lisa and Steve started their business in 2016 with their flagship home decor store. This is where Lisa has taken her 8 years of retail experience and created a destination home decor and candle-making business to the next level. Meanwhile, Steve is one mile down the road in his furniture-making workshop creating one-of-a-kind pieces from reclaimed wood. This power couple has poured their love of farmhouse living into a business worth visiting.
Plan your visit:
Home Decor Store Location:
157 Route 81, Killingworth, CT 06419
Furniture Store Location:
183 Route 81, Killingworth, CT 06419
Brand Photography Needs
In 2021 and after five years in business it was time for a complete rebrand of the Rustic Barn website. That’s where Nicole Bedard Photo + Video came into the project. A website development and logo design team was in place and it was time to update the visual branding of their website.
The scope of work
The scope of work for the Rustic Barn branding session was to capture environmental portraits in both the home decor store and workshop while also showcasing the process of candle making, home decorating, and furniture making.
The process
For this project I drove down to Killingworth, CT to meet Lisa and Steve in person at the home decor store. Prior to the on-site visit I had researched their current website and social media to get an understanding of where the visual branding was at that time. This also allowed me to get a sense of all their offerings and see where there were gaps or opportunities for improvement. Since there was more than one location and multiple businesses under the Rustic Barn umbrella, it was critical to walk through the home decor store, candle-making space, and the workshop. I could quickly get a sense of the spaces, which would help with photography logistics and gear requirements.
This was not only an on-site visit to learn more about the business, but it was also the strategy meeting for the upcoming brand photo shoot. Armed with a first draft of their concept boards, I explained how brand photography captures images with intention behind them. The images will purposefully help them build their brand awareness and generate more business. No generic random photos here.
Solutions
After crafting the vision boards, shoot list, and prop list for the upcoming shoot we had a custom photo shoot plan to meet their visual branding needs. The business needed more images of who was behind the brand and what they were providing their customers. Our goal was to capture Environmental portraits and process images . There were three main shoot locations, the home decor store, the candle- making space, and the workshop. Since they were not under one roof, I had to make a schedule to capture images in the two main locations in a timely manner. We started out at the home decor store and portraits were first on the list.
It’s all in the details
After capturing updated portraits for the website and future social media posts, it was time to get into their process including how they decorate, pour candles on-site, and make furniture.
Impactful Results
The fresh branding images of the Rustic Barn store and workshop were ready for the website and social media posts. They now had a consistent and professional look and feel to their already amazing business. The newly launched site told their story in a visually impactful way. Visitors to the site could learn more about the people behind the business including, their values, offerings, and services. The online shopping experience was also enhanced by this rebranding project.
Environmental portraits were used for the About section of the website, while the process images were used throughout the pages as horizontal banner images and smaller vertical images to highlight their process for each of the core parts of the business, as seen below. See more images from their session The Rustic Barn.
What’s Next
It wasn’t long after the rebranding launch that the Rustic Barn furniture portion of the business needed to expand and have a dedicated store. In September of 2021 the Rustic Barn Furniture store opened with great success. All of Steve’s one-of-a-kind handcrafted pieces where now available to the public to see and buy on the spot. It has been an amazing addition to the business. Capturing images to support the new space was especially fun. Details, portraits, and environmental photos were the goal of this session.
The Rustic Barn Christmas Village
A major part of the Rustic Barn home decor store is the transformation of the space for the holidays. The store shuts down for 10 days to repaint, redesign and restock with all things Christmas. Visitors are transported to a winter wonderland as soon as they enter the space. This was a key element to the home decor store and I was delighted when I was asked to create a video of the transformation. This involved four separate visits to the location to capture different phases of this elaborate process. From summer deliveries, to the breakdown of the Fall decor items and the redesign of the space. Here is the resulting transformation video.
About Nicole Bedard Photo + Video
Capturing the visuals for your brand is so much more than pointing and clicking. I pull from my decade of experience not only as a photographer and a videographer but also as a designer and an editorial photographer to curate your brand’s story in a cohesive, impactful way that genuinely resonates with your ideal audience!
I bring YOU into focus and highlight your creative process so you can walk away from our shoot with…
- A CONSISTENT & PROFESSIONAL LOOK
- ENGAGING CONTENT FOR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
- VISUALS THAT SHOWCASE YOUR BRAND & SET YOU APART IN YOUR INDUSTRY
Check out Nicole Bedard Photo + Video to see other projects, my process and how we can work together or fill out this contact form to schedule a discovery call.
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