Domestica

Domestica is a Maltese furniture company with a showroom and workshop in Msida, home to over 20 local carpenters and a group of designers who make custom furniture and sell curated pieces from European manufacturers. M7Alpha designed and built the Domestica website, including its online shop, and hosts and maintains it. This case study looks at how one website serves two very different buyers: people who want furniture made to measure, and people who want a ready-made piece they can buy now.

What did Domestica need from its website?

Domestica needed a website that could show everything it does, from a fitted kitchen to a single lamp, without losing the craft behind the business. Its own tagline sums up the challenge in three words: handpicked or handmade.

The company traces its roots to 1969, when Leo Vassallo Cesareo founded it as Abbott and Dominic Malta with a group of Maltese carpenters. Today it combines that joinery with long-term partnerships with European brands. The website had to carry three things at once:

• The workshop: bespoke furniture, kitchens and doors made to measure by Domestica’s own carpenters.
• The curated collection: ready-made furniture and accessories from brands such as Zuiver, Dutch Bone, Bold Monkey, White Label Living, Castle Line and Jati Kebon.
• The showroom: a place in Msida where customers can sit down with an expert, have a coffee and see pieces in person.

How is the website organised around rooms and brands?

The main menu follows the way people furnish a home: by room first, then by brand. Someone planning a kitchen goes straight to Kitchens, while someone who already loves a particular label can go straight to it.

The room pages are written in a warm, conversational voice that asks the questions customers ask themselves: bold or understated, modern or classic, trendy or timeless. The Kitchens page, for example, reminds visitors that Domestica’s consultants can guide them through every step.

What does the online shop do?

The online shop lets customers browse and buy ready-made pieces directly, with prices shown including VAT. We built it into the same website rather than as a separate store, so a visitor can move from a room page to products to showroom details without leaving the site.

Product listings include a quick view, a wishlist, options for products that come in different versions, and clear labels for items that are new, on sale or sold.

For a furniture business, e-commerce has a particular job. Many people will not buy a large sofa without seeing it, but they will happily research it online first. A shop with clear prices and options makes the later showroom visit shorter and more useful for both sides. If you are planning something similar, our guide to e-commerce website costs in Malta explains what drives the price.

Why does the website keep pointing people to the showroom?

Because Domestica’s strongest asset is its people, and the website says so openly. The homepage tells visitors that the online shop will give them a good idea, but that nothing beats the undivided attention of an expert.

Instead of trying to close every sale online, the site invites visitors to the Msida showroom for a guided tour, or to meet the carpenters and designers at the factory. The showroom address, phone numbers and email appear at the foot of every page, and the contact page adds opening hours and a short form that asks whether the customer would prefer an email or a call back.

How does the site tell a long family story without slowing visitors down?

It keeps the short version on the homepage and the full version on its own page. The homepage gives one paragraph under the heading “Made in Malta, recognised internationally”, enough to show that this is an established local maker.

The About Us page then tells the whole story for anyone who wants it: how the company chose its original name so it would sit at the top of trade directories, how it worked with British and Italian furniture makers in the 1970s, and how it adapted when imported ready-made furniture became the easier option for many households.

What can other furniture and interiors businesses learn?

A furniture website works best when it mirrors the way customers actually shop. From this project:

1. Organise the menu by room first, because most people shop for a space rather than a product type.
2. Give your main brands a place in the navigation, so brand-loyal customers find them quickly.
3. Show prices online for ready-made items, even if most sales still close in store.
4. Be honest about where expert advice happens, and make the showroom easy to visit.
5. Keep your history on the site, but on its own page.

How M7Alpha helps furniture retailers and showrooms

M7Alpha has designed and built websites and online shops for Maltese businesses since 2004, with the whole team in-house. If you sell from a showroom and want customers to arrive better informed, see our web design and development service or talk to us about your project.

Frequently asked questions

Who designed the Domestica website?

M7Alpha Creative Studios, a web design, development and branding agency in Żurrieq, Malta, designed and built the Domestica website and its online shop. M7Alpha also hosts and maintains the site.

What platform is the Domestica website built on?

The Domestica website is built on WordPress, with the online shop as part of the same site. That lets the Domestica team manage room pages, brand pages and products in one place.

Should a furniture showroom sell online?

Usually, yes, at least for ready-made items. Many customers research furniture online before visiting a showroom, so clear products and prices help them arrive with a shortlist. Large or bespoke pieces can still be sold in person, with the website encouraging a visit.

Where is Domestica's showroom?

Domestica’s showroom is at Domestica Complex, Level 1, Valley Road, Msida, Malta. According to its website it opens Monday to Friday, morning and evening, and on Saturday mornings.