Brief History of 'Luxury'

The history of ‘luxury’ begins back in roman times in 400 AD. In 476 AD there was thriving pleasure and luxury that drove the dissolution of the Roman Empire. The pleasures of food and sex reflect the civilization and economy development of a society. For example, Roman bathing spas were an innovative way of displaying pure luxury. ‘Amber, ivory, incense, pepper and silk were the priorities of the Roman trade’[vi] owning a luxury product like these provided the owner with state of power. In 1453 Europeans began having contact with the Muslim world, and had acquired a taste for the spices, silks and other luxury goods of Asia. In 1912 the luxury liner Titanic set sail from South Hampton, England.

Looking back at the Ancient Egyptian tombs’ is a clear indicator of how luxury dates back to expressing personal prosperity and prominence. Egyptian’s were buried wearing and surrounded by their most precious jewels and luxurious belongings – to symbolise their power and importance. Clearly, the Ancient Egyptian’s lives showed hierarchy and a highly sophisticated society and culture. Royal tombs contained magical objects to assist the kings and queens in their new life, the increased belief of an ‘after life’ insisted on them including ritualistic objects[vii], as well as numerous regular items within the burial chambers – this enabled the Egyptians to take their wealth with them into the after-world.

‘Luxury as we know it today is rooted in old Europe’s Royal Courts.’ And today, designers are attempting to bring back luxury from the past by renovating Victorian and Edwardian buildings to their original grand designs. For example Bloemfontein’s most prestigious four star luxury hotel which was renovated in 2004. The Victoria and Albert museums in London show objects previously owned by the wealthier members of society and have re-constructed interiors in place. It is possible that revamping old buildings to their classic graceful decoration could subsequently bring back a particular energy or old memories of the era and equate to a luxurious stay at the hotel. Older buildings attain character and traditional charm. By respecting the original architecture designer’s can bring revived former luxurious buildings back to life. By accentuating an interiors original charm it is possibly to create a ‘luxurious’ feeling within.

People throughout history have in some cases tried to discourage ‘luxury’ within our society, religious and moral campaigners for example. However there was a declaration of historical materialism, which was believed to allow ‘all forms and contents of culture to emerge out of the prevailing economic revelations.'