The economic downturn has left many people feeling uncomfortable about conspicuous consumption, something which is affecting luxury design groups and brands in interesting ways.
That is according to magazine Design Week, which suggested that companies selling extravagant products have had to adapt as people reconsider their opinions on design and consumerism.
It cited analyst The Future Laboratory, which has labelled this cultural shift 'the shame of luxury'.
However, this tendency among buyers to make more 'demure purchases' has not had an entirely negative effect on luxury furniture makers or hotel chains.
In fact, the website noted that many top-end consumers are still willing to surround themselves in elegance, so long as it is practical rather than overtly showy.
Although the word 'luxury' may seem dirty in a post-credit crunch world, it is the showiness of status rather than the quality of products that is being dismissed, Design Week suggested.
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