Honest design is tricky to define.

Dieter Rams doesnt elaborate, his designs are

explained by themselves. Nowadays design tends to overdesign in order to make it
innovative, interesting or appealing to consumers yes, Ive assumed a
sarcastic tone Most people think that more worth more, that it has more value
and this is way far from the truth.

So, What does honest mean?

Honest doesnt mean minimalist. That is too simplistic. It is naive. Honest, means
not to lie when it comes to design.
It is what you think it is. Its form and materials indicate its nature. Well-defined
affordances indicate functionality clearly.
E.g. metal should feel like metal and wood should feel like wood. Chrome is a fine
finish for a metal bumper; plastic utensils with a chrome finish are a lie.
It does what you think it does. Interactions are as much a part of honesty as
materials are. Something that looks like a dial or button should turn or
depress, and you should understand the effect of that action.
In modern era good design sometimes does use white lies to serve a greater purpose.
Take Apples iPad; it feels like a solid element, like theres no machinery inside.
Apples product design has become unibody to belie the complexity within. Because
humans cannot perceive circuitry in operation. The whole experience has to support
the design story for it to be believable.

Thats what honest design is an object that you perceive as having a

consistent model of interaction.