March/April 2025

Canadian Interiors March-April 2025

Issue Focus: Luxury: Selling it; Living in It; Sharing It.

PROJECTS SPOTLIGHT:

Private Retreats: Niagara Escarpment, Ontario / Mont Tremblant, Québec

In the heart of mountainous regions are nestled two private residences fused with their natural surroundings. In these projects, every detail is meticulously designed to fit and integrate with the surrounding topography to create living spaces that promote well-being and harmony with nature.

Tridel at The Well, Toronto / Auberge on the Park, Toronto

Two landmark multi-tower residential developments rising on Toronto’s skyline include grand lobbies that transition from sleek modernism to rich, traditional European details, adorned with sculptural forms, deluxe colour palettes, and custom art installations, all clearly viewable from the street to make passersby wish they lived here.

The Modern Bride – Apres Oui, Guelph, Ontario / Château d’Ivoire, Montréal

These two space are designed to create unforgettable journeys for highly discerning clients by merging minimalist aesthetics with touches of extravagance that embody sophistication, luxury and that connects them to moments of awe, discovery and the joy.

Cozey Flagship Experience Centre, Toronto / Monos Flagship, Toronto

Two dreamlike spaces influenced by gentle surrealism and hospitality must also do the job of supporting emerging retail brands by faithfully translating their ethos, embody their unique selling proposal, be strongly differentiated from competitors, and help customers interact directly with their products.

SHOW COVERAGE: Interior Design Show, Toronto

Toronto’s Interior Design Show (IDS) assembled 220 exhibitors, including a strong Canadian contingent, on the 250,000-sq.-ft. show floor at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre North Building.

Editor’s Notes: From Status Symbol to Sanctuary

Trying to zero in on “luxury” – as an aspiration, as a market share, as a trend, as any way of categorizing people and their spending and living habits – has always been slippery at best. But as the economic landscape evolves to such a degree where both growth and disparity are shaping the future, using the concept of “luxury” as a shared metric will slide away as it yields to more individualistic impressions of the term.

In the past, the equation was simple: luxury equals wealth. While still true, the expression of that equation is far more delicate, as more of the newer generations are questioning whether avenues to traditional forms of wealth accumulation are still open to them. After all, according to Pew Research Americans are more apart than before financially. From 1971 to 2023, the share of those who live in lower-income households increased from 27 per cent to 30 per cent, and the share in upper-income households increased from 11 per cent to 19 per cent. Since 1970 the growth in income for the middle class has not kept pace with the growth in income for the upper-income tier. Outcomes of these widening wealth disparities will take unusual forms: we’ll see women without children accumulating more wealth than their male counterparts, while single mothers face financial hardships.

That said, Generations X and Y are in their peak income years, representing the bulk of luxury purchases and soon the key pool of income growth. However, “Generation Z is positioned at the forefront of social and cultural change, inspiring other generations’ value systems, with a strong desire for lived experiences and a quest for meaning,” says market research firm Bain & Company. By 2030, Gen Z will account for 25 per cent of luxury market purchases, with millennials claiming 50 per cent. Together, they are set to “redefine luxury consumption, prioritizing authenticity and accessibility over traditional opulence,” according to the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) 2025 Trends Outlook report. “The rise of the second-hand luxury market, driven by Gen Z’s focus on sustainability and exclusivity, signals a fundamental change in how luxury goods are valued. As this new generation of consumers reshapes the landscape, sustainability, personal alignment with brands, and accessible luxury are becoming essential to staying relevant in the market.”

The ASID spoke very little about luxury in their 2025 Trends Outlook report. But perhaps that isn’t a bad thing: “luxury” is an overused word I hear all too often in interior design, typically followed by exploitative misuse, contradictions and confusion. “For some, luxury is opulence and grandeur. For others, it is sophistication and sustainability,” says Daniela Furtado, a consultant, speaker and head of Toronto-based Findable Digital Marketing. “Luxury is hard to define because it constantly evolves with consumer values. As the affluent consumer changes, so do their values and desires. I call this the ‘flavour of luxury.’”

And the flavour now is discretion. “Quiet luxury” has emerged as a prominent trend reshaping the design landscape, where the art of understatement reigns supreme. No longer a parade of excess, luxury now resides in the hushed elegance of natural materials, impeccable craftsmanship, and spaces that breathe. This cultivated restraint has permeated real estate, with discerning buyers gravitating toward homes that whisper rather than shout their affluence. The new paradigm favours sculptural silhouettes, tactility over trend, and interiors harmonized with their surroundings while imbued with a sense of sanctuary. The term “quiet luxury” may not be a new phenomenon, but it has become the new way to do minimalism: soft and warm where core values like creativity, artistry and distinctiveness are not declared but deeply felt.