Crafting a legacy: the integral role of product design and sustainability in luxury furniture brand heritage

Purpose This paper aims to examine how product design relates to brand heritage and how sustainable design reinforces this process in the luxury furniture sector. It focuses on functionality, aesthetics and symbolism and their effects on consumer perceptions of longevity, stability and adaptability. Given sustainability’s central role in luxury contexts, sustainable design is tested as both a direct driver of heritage and a moderator of design effects. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted among 448 consumers and followers of a leading online retailer of high-end furniture brands. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the proposed relationships. Findings Functionality and symbolism are positively associated with all three heritage dimensions, while aesthetics show more selective associations. Sustainable design directly strengthens heritage, particularly longevity and adaptability. Interaction effects indicate that sustainability amplifies the role of aesthetics in shaping heritage, wile its effects on functionality and symbolism are limited. Research limitations/implications The findings suggest that integrating sustainability into design strategies strengthens heritage perceptions and supports long-term brand relevance. The study offers guidance for luxury brands aiming to align design with evolving consumer values. Originality/value This study advances research on product design and brand heritage by showing how consumers translate multidimensional design perceptions into temporal brand heritage beliefs in a design-intensive luxury category. It further demonstrates that sustainable design operates as a direct heritage signal and as an interpretative frame that selectively amplifies aesthetic cues.