Project Overview
Haute Living is a luxury furniture and lighting showroom with flagship locations in Chicago and New York, serving architects, interior designers, and design-focused private clients.
The company was planning a major website redesign as part of a transition toward a custom, headless Shopify experience.
Webxhives was engaged to explore the initial visual and user experience direction for the new website, focusing on the homepage and product listing experience.
The design brief emphasized a sophisticated editorial approach, combining luxury product presentation, strong typography, carefully considered whitespace, and image-led storytelling.
The engagement focused on early-stage design concepts rather than website development or Shopify implementation.
The Challenge
Haute Living wanted to move beyond conventional e-commerce layouts and create a digital experience that better reflected the quality and character of its furniture collections.
The website needed to serve two distinct audiences: design professionals sourcing products for projects and private customers exploring high-end furniture and lighting.
The design direction required a balance between visual inspiration and practical product discovery.
Important considerations included
- Luxury-focused visual presentation
- Editorial product storytelling
- Clear information architecture
- Product listing and collection browsing
- Trade-oriented user experience
- Strong typography and grid systems
- Responsive design planning
- Compatibility with a future custom Shopify frontend
The challenge was to establish a distinctive design direction while maintaining usability across a substantial product catalog.
Our Approach
We began by reviewing the client's creative brief, visual references, and existing design materials.
The initial work focused on exploring a website experience that would support the company's luxury positioning and future e-commerce requirements.
1. Design Discovery & Reference Review
We reviewed the visual direction shared by the client, including examples of luxury furniture websites, editorial layouts, and product browsing experiences.
The references informed discussions around typography, spacing, imagery, navigation, and product presentation.
2. UX Strategy & Information Architecture
We explored how the website could support both inspirational browsing and practical product discovery.
The proposed UX direction considered the needs of architects, interior designers, trade customers, and private buyers.
3. Homepage Design Exploration
We worked on early homepage concepts intended to establish a more refined visual experience.
The proposed direction emphasized
- Strong visual hierarchy
- Editorial imagery
- Minimal interface elements
- Brand-led storytelling
- Clear navigation
- Carefully structured content sections
4. Product Listing Page Concepts
Product listing pages were an important part of the initial design scope.
We explored layout directions for presenting luxury furniture collections through organized product imagery, clear typography, and a more considered browsing experience.
5. Figma Design Drafts
Initial design drafts and page layout concepts were prepared and shared for client review.
The design work was part of an exploratory phase intended to establish alignment before expanding into additional page templates and a complete design system.
6. Design Review & Feedback
The client reviewed the initial work and provided feedback on the proposed visual direction.
Although design concepts were delivered, the client determined that the work did not meet the expectations established for the project.
The engagement concluded after this initial phase, without proceeding to the remaining website pages or development handoff.
Work Undertaken
- Luxury website design brief review
- Competitor and reference analysis
- Initial UX planning
- Homepage layout exploration
- Product listing page design exploration
- Figma concept preparation
- Editorial design direction research
- Typography and spacing considerations
- E-commerce browsing experience planning
- Client design review discussions
Project Outcome
The engagement produced early-stage design concepts and UX exploration for Haute Living's planned website redesign.
The initial drafts were delivered for review in April 2026.
Following feedback, the client decided not to continue with the proposed design direction, and the project ended after the first phase.
The available correspondence does not confirm approval of the designs, completion of a full design system, development handoff, or implementation of the proposed headless Shopify website.
This engagement is presented as an initial design exploration project rather than a completed website redesign.