Louis Vuitton luggage, a symbol of luxury travel, is now being used as art in stylish homes. Trunks are taking centre stage as coffee tables. Meg Randell, the head of designer handbags and fashion at Chiswick Auctions, says: “The trunks are notoriously heavy and, without a retinue of valets, most people now opt for wheeled suitcases.”
A trunk-maker in Paris in the mid-1800s, Louis Vuitton revolutionised the industry, creating cases that could be stacked. The steamer trunks and luggage sets became popular at the turn of the 20th century with travellers who set out to see the world with extensive wardrobes and full vanity sets.
Martin Millard, a director at Cheffins auctioneers, says: “Vintage Louis Vuitton luggage is as much of a statement as a