High design crosses categories

High design is the idea that design is driven by imagery; the products are unlike most, if not any, others. It implies product that has been well thought out and creatively executed. It suggests something a little extra, whether it's unexpected functionality, handcrafted elements or exceptional materials.

"High design for us is defined by quality of materials, an ephemeral quality of design that is instinctual, good scale and proportion and sometimes historical reinvention," said Geoffrey Ross of Dransfield and Ross. "Originality of design maintains the integrity of high design and distinguishes it from a pedestrian product."

This high-end bedding company recently debuted several youth collections, previously sold exclusively at Neiman Marcus, including Circles. Ross said all of their products are designed for those young at heart, so youth bedding was a natural progression.

Design might be more obvious in something like bedding, but high design also can be found in things like gear, lighting and feeding products.

Fisher Price's Stow Away Seat Pack, for example, is an integrated kid-sized travel seat and backpack. The backpack part features padded pockets to store electronics and insulated pockets for snacks and drinks. Used as a seat it sports saddlebag storage and a sturdy frame.

Something as simple as an insulated cup can exhibit high design. Munchkins' Cupsicle resembles a penguin, and is often shown among them in ads. It's a spill-proof trainer cup that's insulated to keep drinks colder longer. A simple idea but it's design makes it easier for little hands to hold and its rubberized so it doesn't mark furniture and you can write your child's name on it.

"High-design products place as much emphasis on the 'art' of the product as the function," said Ali Wing, owner of Giggle, which has stores in San Francisco and New York. "The energy and focus on details is about making it a 'piece,' and as such is more often built to last longer, perhaps do more things, often with higher quality finishes/construction and meanwhile make more of a personal statement."

Adesso's PomPom floor lamp obviously has a function, but it's the funky pompoms on gooseneck arms that draw the eye. Each gooseneck sports an aluminum wire pompom shade that takes a 25-watt candelabra bulb.

High-design products are more design driven than most. Maclaren has worked with designers like Kate Spade and Philippe Starck on fashion-forward looks in strollers. They have the same mechanisms and functionality as Maclaren's other strollers, but there's just a little something more to the Kate Spade buggy.

Most people agree that high design is not necessarily limited to modern or contemporary styles.

"High design can have a transitional or traditional look as well," Ross said. "Take a perfect 18th century chair and place it in a John Pawson minimalist interior and it elevates the chair to a different level."

Designer Jennifer DeLonge has done this with her collection of kid-sized furniture. Her one-of-a-kind Ava chairs feature cotton and linen vintage fabrics from the 1960s and 1970s, like Pink Sherbet, and though they're scaled down, they can easily be integrated into any room of the home.

Taking a product that's been on the market for years and making it different can also be interpreted as high design. Pure Me took something as common as baby powder and delivered it with a twist by packaging it as a compact. Parents have been advised against using baby powder because the talc and fine particles could cause babies to aspirate, but with the pressed-powder compact there's none of that. Pure Me blends avocado oil, jojoba oil and vitamin E with the baby powder so it's hypoallergenic, water repellent and talc free.

Duc Duc took inspiration from 1950s picnic tables for the design of its table, which debuted at ICFF this year. It can be both a dining room table and an activity center.

Though high-design products can be found across categories, they often land at the higher-price point end of the spectrum. One reason is the higher price point reflects the "additional layer of developmental costs," Ross said.

Another reason, like in the example of Dutailier's comfort recliner, is the new technology involved in the development of a product.

"The glider market had the challenge of providing a product that not only had the styling the younger market was looking for, but also meeting their functional expectations," said Dominque Godbout, vice president marketing, sales and customer service for Dutailier. "We invented the technology that allowed us to raise the glider/recliner off the floor without having a skirt or a ring underneath."

The comfort glider also has a smaller footprint and it more easily blends in with other furnishings in the home. It "harmonizes with the environment," Godbout said.

"I think it's the cache of a product that makes it high design," said Lina Perez, co-owner of Chocolate Milk of Miami. "When you buy high design you're buying quality, not something trendy. You're buying it for its longevity. It doesn't have to be contemporary, for example, chandeliers are very popular and highly designed though they're traditional by nature. High design is more about the workmanship."

Workmanship and design are integral to Viaggio chandeliers by designer Dorian Webb. Webb's Baby's Breath chandelier is crafted with Murano glass and freshwater pearls, proving something as traditional as a chandelier can exhibit high design.

Wing has 10 criteria for products she sells in her stores — baby basics, good value, healthy, multi-stage, easy/simple, portable, space saving/compact, responsible, tested and innovation. Each product has to meet at least four criteria. Wing considers innovation and high design one in the same.

"Innovative or high-design products are just plain smart," Wing said. "Whether it's a new twist on an old product, a smart, modern design or a fresh idea that's altogether new."

Miami interior designer, Brett Mickan, said high design isn't a type of style, but rather "a phrase used in conjunction with a style, usually referring to something expensive; it's about exclusivity."

Consumers who shop for high-design products are savvy and well informed. Godbout says this comes from more exposure to design through the media.

"These consumers will support originality and invention with a higher purchase price," Ross said. "It's the "first on the block" syndrome."

Pure Me's Pressed Puff, $21, delivers baby powder with a twist and comes in a stylish pouch.

The Ava chair in Pink Sherbet from Jennifer DeLonge holds a child up to 150 pounds with aluminum legs and a funky retro pattern.

The PomPom floor lamp from Adesso, $185, has a satin steel finish and round dome base; it stands 68" high.

The Intermezzo Comfort Recliner from Dutailier, $1,099 as shown in leather, looks like a stationary chair but it's actually a recliner and a glider all in one.

Fisher Price's Stow Away Seat Pack, $40, from its Activegear collection is a prime example of unexpected functionality.

Duc duc's Table, $8,500, features unexpected storage, novel surfaces and it can be used as a dining table or activity center.

Baby's Breath from Viaggio is a 12″× 12″ three light prism chandelier embellished with Murano glass leaves, flowers and drops and accented with freshwater pearls, $1,250.

Circles by Dransfield & Ross features graphic circles on white with multicolor dots and pompom trim. The twin duvet retails for about $330 and other coordinating accessories are available.

Maclaren's Kate Spade buggy, $300, is part of a collection featuring a baby carrier, rocker, changing bag and blanket.