All workWordPress · Lighting2026
Architectural FX
- The brief
- Architectural FX had to email their product spreadsheet to us and wait for an import every time a product changed, and their products page took more than six seconds to load.
- What we did
- We replaced WooCommerce and two other plugins with one custom WordPress plugin, connected it to their Google Sheet, built new products and product pages with a configurator, and moved 128 DWG drawings off Amazon S3.
- Results
- The team publish product changes from the sheet themselves, and specifiers can filter the catalogue and download a spec sheet for the configuration they need.
- 3
Pluginsreplaced by one custom plugin
- 128
DrawingsDWG files moved from Amazon S3 into WordPress
- 9
Filtersways to narrow the catalogue
Background
Architectural FX supply premium LED lighting to architects, lighting designers and specifiers from their office in Wokingham. We rebuilt how their WordPress site handles products. The catalogue now comes from the Google Sheet the team already use, and the products page, product pages and configurator are new.
Part 1 of 2
Catalogue
A custom WordPress plugin that publishes products from the team's Google Sheet.
The starting point
The old setup
Product data lived in a Google Sheet. To change a product, the team emailed the sheet to us and waited for an import to run, so small edits cost time and money.
The site ran on WooCommerce, with a catalogue-mode plugin and a separate plugin for the product configurator. When we reviewed it in May 2026, the products page took more than six seconds to load.
Google Sheet
Publishing from the sheet
We added an Architectural FX menu to the Google Sheet. When the team have made their changes, they publish from that menu and an Apps Script sends the update to the website.
Each update is signed, so the site only accepts changes that come from the sheet.
Custom plugin
One plugin in place of three
We wrote a WordPress plugin that holds the catalogue and runs the products page, the product pages and the configurator. It replaced WooCommerce, the catalogue-mode plugin and the old configurator plugin.
The site went live on the new plugin on 25 June 2026.
Drawings
DWG files moved into WordPress
The CAD drawings for the products were stored in an Amazon S3 bucket. We moved all 128 DWG files into the WordPress media library and mapped each product to its new file.
We also scanned the media library for files that nothing on the site uses, and listed them for review.
Part 2 of 2
Products
A new products page, new product pages and a configurator that produces spec sheets.
Catalogue
The products page
The products page loads the catalogue from the plugin and filters it in the browser, without reloading the page.
Visitors can search by name or SKU and narrow the list by application, colour, colour temperature, wattage, lumens, CRI, IP rating, mounting and optic.
Product pages
Specifications and downloads
Each product page lists the main specifications, such as dimensions, lifetime, wattage range, LED types and IP rating. It also has downloads for the photometric data, the DWG file and the technical drawing.
Configurator
Spec sheets from the configurator
Specifiers pick the LED type, colour temperature and other options, add their project details and download a spec sheet as a PDF. A second button asks the Architectural FX team for help or a quote.
Navigation
Menu and search
The products menu lists the brands and applications, with the number of products in each application. Site search takes visitors to the products page with their search already applied.
Results
- 3
Pluginsreplaced by one custom plugin
- 128
DrawingsDWG files moved from Amazon S3 into WordPress
- 9
Filtersways to narrow the catalogue
Results
What changedfor Architectural FX
The team publish product changes from the sheet themselves, and specifiers can filter the catalogue and download a spec sheet for the configuration they need.
Figures
- 3Plugins, replaced by one custom plugin
- 128Drawings, DWG files moved from Amazon S3 into WordPress
- 9Filters, ways to narrow the catalogue
Deliverables
- Custom WordPress catalogue plugin
- Google Sheet publishing with Apps Script
- Products page with search and filters
- Product page template
- Configurator with PDF spec sheets
- DWG migration from Amazon S3
- Media library audit
