What is Luxury, Really?

There was a time when luxury was not a marketing word.

In the Victorian and Edwardian eras, luxury meant materials, time, and human hands. It meant solid mahogany instead of pressboard. Hand-cut crystal instead of molded glass. Wool, silk, horsehair, marble, brass, and bronze—materials chosen because they lasted, not because they were cheap to produce or easy to replace. Luxury was weighty.

It had presence. It aged—and it aged well.

Today, we are told luxury is “vegan leather,” factory finishes, and fast-produced design trends. We are told luxury is newness. But new does not mean well made, and expensive does not mean enduring. Many of today’s so-called luxury goods are designed for speed, margins, and visual impact rather than longevity.

As an appraiser, I spend my days with objects that have already proven their worth—not because they were trendy, but because they survived.

Victorian interiors were layered, plush, and unapologetically ornate, but none of it was accidental. Carved wood was carved because labor was valued. Gilding was applied by hand. Upholstery was stitched, stuffed, and rebuilt over generations. Furniture was made to be repaired, not discarded. Even everyday objects were designed with care, symmetry, and permanence.

These homes were not decorated quickly. They were built slowly.

Contrast that with many interiors today, designed for speed, affordability, and instant visual payoff rather than endurance. Much of modern furniture is not meant to last decades, let alone centuries. When it fails, it is thrown away.

True luxury doesn’t rush

When you buy an antique or a vintage piece, you are not just buying an object. You are buying craftsmanship that no longer exists at scale; materials that are no longer affordable to produce; design that was never meant to be disposable; and a piece of history that has already stood the test of time.

An antique chest that has survived 150 years has already proven it can outlast trends, moves, and daily use. That is not nostalgia. That is evidence.

From an appraisal standpoint, value is not created by branding alone. It is created by construction, rarity, condition, and historical context—things mass production cannot replicate, no matter how convincingly it tries.

The most sustainable object is the one that already exists.

Buying vintage and antique furnishings is not only an aesthetic choice. It is an environmental one. No new resources extracted. No factories producing waste. No shipping across oceans for something designed to fail.

Long before sustainability became a buzzword, objects were reused, repaired, and cherished. Upholstery was re-covered. Furniture was passed down. Decorative objects were meant to live multiple lives.

Antiques are the original sustainable luxury

Decorating with antiques does not mean living in the past. It means grounding a space with pieces that have substance, then layering modern life around them. A Victorian mirror in a contemporary room. An Edwardian table used every day. A century-old cabinet that still functions beautifully.

These pieces bring depth, warmth, and authenticity that cannot be bought flat-packed.

Luxury today does not have to mean sterile, minimal, or temporary. It can mean considered. It can mean choosing fewer things, but choosing them well.

Objects are not meant to be locked away.

History is preserved by use—by living with these pieces, maintaining them, and passing them forward. When antiques remain functional and appreciated, they continue their story rather than becoming forgotten artifacts.

As someone trained to evaluate objects not just for beauty, but for integrity and value, I believe education is essential. When people understand how things were made, they begin to see why they matter. And when they see why they matter, they protect them.

Real luxury is not loud. It does not need explanation. It is felt in weight, detail, and endurance.

It is knowing where something came from. It is choosing craftsmanship over convenience. It is valuing history not as something old, but as something worthy.

Perhaps the most luxurious thing we can do today, and moving into the new year, is slow down, look back, and choose better. 

~Heidi Markow Appraiser, PACC Certified