Trends for 2025 – IDS Show

CKCA asked member Blum Canada to give us a rundown of what they saw recently at the IDS Show in Toronto. Here’s a useful summary of trends to watch in 2025 and beyond.

Trends Shaping 2025: Smart Spaces, Bold Statements, and the New Minimalism

The IDS 2025, held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from January 23rd to 26th, had the interior design world buzzing with excitement. Designers, architects, and students gathered to dive into the latest trends shaping the future of interior design. As I walked through the exhibit hall, I couldn’t help but feel eager to discover what’s in—and what’s out—for 2025 in this ever-evolving industry.

A standout trend at IDS 2025 is the growing emphasis on private, multifunctional spaces that adapt to the needs of today’s modern lifestyle. While open-concept layouts have long been a staple, the surge in remote work has sparked a major shift in how we view and design our home spaces. Homeowners are craving spacious, open environments that also provide the flexibility to create distinct areas for work, exercise, and relaxation. Smart solutions like the pocket systems were making waves at the fair for their innovative technology to transform home spaces in a split second. With a simple touch, doors glide effortlessly into the pocket, converting a home area into a vibrant gym room, a private office, or even a chic bar.


Another major trend emerging at the show is the shift toward creating warm, inviting spaces that prioritize comfort and coziness. While all-white and all-black kitchens continue to be popular, natural wood tones are making a notable comeback. These earthy tones not only brighten up the space but also create a more welcoming atmosphere to the heart of the home. A booth featuring a blend of warm wood cabinets and a timeless white marble wall and countertop perfectly illustrates how wood accents are being seamlessly integrated into kitchen design. Soft, warm lighting in cabinetry is also becoming an essential feature, enhancing the ambiance and functionality of modern kitchens.


Minimalism is still going strong in 2025, but it is the thoughtful, subtle details that truly re-define minimalist home. This made the new concealed hardware the star of the show. Its fully integrated design conceals the lift mechanism in the cabinet side, creating a clean, streamlined look that takes minimalism to the next level.

Vibrant patterns combined with earthy tones also stood out across many booths. Terracotta, olive green, and various shades of brown laid a soothing foundation for living areas, bringing calm and grounding energy. Bold accents—whether it’s a tan velvet chair, luxurious brass fixtures, or vibrant wall coverings—elevated home spaces, adding layers of personality. These vivid details not only created a dynamic visual impact but also served as a true reflection of personality, individuality, and unapologetic creativity.

In 2025, interior design is all about blending innovation with warmth and practicality with personality. The trends that took center stage at IDS 2025 are paving the way for spaces that focus on comfort, versatility, and bold self-expression. I believe we are witnessing an exciting time for design, where function meets flair in the most thrilling ways!

For more information, please contact:
Tony Henry tony.henry@blum.com
Lucy Traetto lucy.traetto@blum.com

 

Interior Design show (IDS) 23 through the eyes of industry

The IDS show in Toronto provided a window in to the new and the trending designs in interior design. We asked Blum Canada to give us an update on what they observed from the show. Lucy Traetto and Tony Henry have over 40 years combined experience in the industry. Their observations of what they saw are very valuable. Read their observations here»

“IDS-23 proved once again that it is a place to inspire and connect. The design community is always ready to give us new ideas to work with. Adapting to new realities while using our ingenuity to create better solutions will keep us moving forward.” – Blum Canada

Helping consumers make smart choices for their future

Read full article here.

Blum Canada is known for it’s research into ergonomic designs. This marries well with an emerging trend to “age in place” or “live in place”. Kitchen cabinet manufacturers have an opportunity to develop expertise to help their customers build or renovate their living spaces to accommodate their needs for today and the future.

As we see the largest aging population in history head to retirement, their wish to remain in place has been augmented after the last 3 years of Covid shutdowns. Now more than ever, its important our industry be prepared to help consumers make smart choices for their future.

This article help you to better understand the differences between aging in place versus living in place, as well as provides informative statistics that will have you thinking differently about how you build.

We’ve spoken with Lucy Traetto, Sales and Marketing Representative for over 22 years at Blum Canada Ltd. Lucy holds credentials including CAPS (Certified Aging in Place Specialist) and CLIPP (Certified Living in Place Professional). Lucy is an expert on this subject and a wealth of knowlege that she is keen to share with the kitchen cabinet industry.

 

CKCA gives their predictions for 2022 year

We were pleased to be asked by Woodworking Network to give our predictions for 2022.

While no one has the real crystal ball, we can reflect back on how the past year has gone and connect with the trends we are seeing.

That’s why it’s important the kitchen cabinet industry in Canada has a voice as a sector. We all need that big picture view and CKCA gathers intel to do just that.

Check out this article along with other industry experts about what to expect this year.

 

CKCA Members Discuss Their Experiences at 2019 KBIS in Las Vegas

CKCA Members Attend the 2019 KBIS show in Las Vegas

Covering 430,000 net square feet and 600 exhibitors host design and construction pros at the Las Vegas Convention Center

The 2019 Kitchen & Bath Industry Trade Show (KBIS), the largest North American event for kitchen and bath design professionals, welcomed designers, builders, technology integrators, dealers and kitchen and bath showroom professionals — and even a little bit of snow —along with more than 600 exhibitors to the Las Vegas Convention Center, February 19-21. Early estimates indicate an increase of 30% attendance over 2018; the sixth consecutive year of attendee growth. Floor space increased, expanding to more than 1 million net square feet between KBIS and the co-located International Builders Show (IBS), which together make up Design & Construction Week. More than 400,000 NSF of show floor space has already been secured for KBIS 2020, returning to Las Vegas January 21-23, 2020.

So what was it like attending this massive event? 

CKCA member, Gerald Van Woudenberg of Van Arbour Design, Jim Lawrence of Avondale Kitchens and CKCA President, Mike Slobodian of Decor Cabinets Ltd, had the opportunity to attend and here are some of their takeaways:

  • The show was well attended, both from a supplier and attendee point of view (actually broke records) apparently)
  • It snowed for the first time in Vegas!
  • The US market is a fair bit different than the Canadian market, they are slower to adopt the frameless construction method, choosing to do a lot of full overlays of framed cabinetry to give the look of the more contemporary styles (probably related more to a need to change a whole manufacturing line which would be expensive…)  Frameless construction adoption is starting with companies like Wellborn implementing a frameless line in their facility.
  • The US market is still more of a traditional and transitional market than contemporary, but the hardcore traditional continues to shrink
  • The Chinese presence continues to increase, both in the kitchen cabinets as well as the stainless steel hoods, sinks, and a very significant number of engineered “stone” manufacturers.
  • The most significant area of Chinese presence, in my view, was the number of large displays dedicated to Chinese-made cabinets. This will continue to be a very real challenge to our industry in that they are able to manufacture at a significantly reduced cost.
  • In the hardware department, the major manufactures were well represented, showcasing a lot of lift-up systems and sliding door options as well as internal drawer organizational systems, a lot of them in wood grains.
  • Lighting inside of cabinetry is increasing, along with the hardware options related to them
  • Lots of floating vanities, mix of materials, lots of under sink drawers
  • Gold brass is everywhere, from taps to cabinetry hardware
  • The appliance manufacturers were there in full force again, great to see
  • Lots of textured laminates
  • Jim has attended this show many times so was looking to do something different – he chose to attend the seminars, thought there was an amazing lineup
  • show has grown from 2 football fields to 4 football field, Jim couldn’t resist still walking the show! and was looking to pick up something on the builder side to work with ERP type systems,( has a 14,000 square-foot facility and under 20 employees), has been resisting the $80K price tag on ERP’s, but sought input from a colleague who got rid of their ERP and is using a specific software instead, Jim is now trying out the software too and so far so good
  • number of manufacturers with display booths for job site delivery vehicles, Murphy bed systems, hidden closet door systems and many other related items
  • Jim confesses he goes home with big bag loads of literature he tosses 11 months later, this year, he resolves to read it

Here’s a quick highlights video of the show:

https://www.interiordesign.net/videos/16056-kbis-2019-highlights/

Trends and Stats

STATISTICS AND TRENDS

We’ll post stats and trends from various sources and from our own research to give you industry insight and benchmarks.

 

 

2020 GLOBAL ECONOMIC UPDATE

What the experts told CKCA at a recent L.A.B. seminar. (Nov 2019). Click here.

Did you know?

The Canadian kitchen cabinet manufacturing industry represents an estimated $1.5 billion in annual sales and employs more than 25,000 Canadians across Canada representing just less than one third of the advanced wood manufacturing sector. The industry is comprised of an estimated 4,000 SME’s (small to medium sized enterprises) with the largest of companies employing more than 800 employees to the smallest company of just 1 person. The industry has been a thriving part of the Canadian economy for more than 50 years with a “birth” in the early 60’s when an influx of skilled migrant workers from Europe brought their knowledge and methods to Canada. To this day those methods are in use and define a significant difference between Canada and its largest trading partner, the US (US using framed cabinetry, Canada using the European frameless).

Part of the advanced wood manufacturing sector, kitchen cabinetry has experienced evolutionary changes from mechanization to digitization and now the internet of things.

In this space, we will post stats from various sources that provide insight into our industry.

Employment data

Canadian Woodworking Industry Stats – Who Works Where – Source Woodworking Network (Dec 2018) Click here.

Presentation by Jon Callegher, PhD, JobTalks to the CKCA National Forum, April 27, 2019

Recruitment Strategies and Data

Should we do for our industry what Construction is doing for theirs? Or shall we let other sectors go after the talent and we are left behind in the dust? Jon Callegher, PhD, JobTalks provided valuable insight into the perception of the trades and how we need to develop recruiting strategies to get more people into the wood industry sector. The statistics will surprise you.  We need to move the dial on this issue and check out the BDC presentation below that gives a more in depth look at what’s happening in Canada.

See Jon’s presentation slidedeck here.
Business Development Bank of Canada Presentation by Michale Poynton, Manager, Business Centre, BDC Calgary Office to the CKCA National Forum, April 26, 2019

Business Resilience 

Check out this informative presentation (slidedeck here) that shows compelling data about the emloyment and digital situation in Canada. The trends are staggering and SME companies need to take steps now to navigate the challenges that are just around the corner.

 

 CKCA Board Member, Peter Lansitie, of Hettich tells us what trends he saw at IDS 2020. Read full article (Jan 2020)
Valuable information from CKCA member:

 Antibacterial decorative panels and decorative hardware.  With Covid-19 a part of everyone’s life these days, it’s no surpise to see antibacterial product now available. How will this impact overal kitchen designs? Time will tell. Read full article (June 2020)

Bring Nature into your designs! Bringing natural elements, such as wood and stone, into interiors remains one of the easiest ways to add texture to a space.  Richelieu takes you through a variety of different finishes, colors, patterns and applications.Read full article (Nov 2019)

How to Plan a Lighting Installation Layout for a Kitchen in a Few Easy Steps! The ideal time to plan kitchen lighting is during a remodel, however it is possible to revamp it at any time thanks to Richelieu’s easy plug-and-play system. This article covers the layout installation for a kitchen, but can be applied to any project. (Nov 2019)

Ever wonder what it’s like to actually find that spatula or whisk right when you need it? Being efficient in the kitchen means finding your cooking tools easily and quickly when you need them most.  Having well-organized drawers is a simple way to achieve a more functional kitchen.  Richelieu has put together a guide to find the perfect drawer organizer to suit every drawer and kitchen tool.  Read full article (Aug 2019)

GOLA integrated cabinet profiles open up a world of possibilities – Seamless contemporary-looking cabinetry with integrated handles is a growing trend in kitchen cabinetry now. Richelieu pushes this trend even further by offering an integrated pull with lighting.  As the trend for European styled kitchens takes off, see how you can design with the minimalistic European aesthetic in mind.  Read full article (Aug 2019)

10 Must-Have In-Cabinet Accessories – Your clients are looking to remodel their kitchen. Given the amount of time they spend in the kitchen, as most people typically do, they will most likely appreciate having a few accessories to make their life easier. After all, everyone wants a better functioning, more efficient kitchen space. Read full article. (Oct 2018)

Untapped market – Your next business opportunity right here.  Eric Pothier, Director of Business Development, Richelieu gave an excellent presentation on an upcoming trend that could open new business opportunities for kitchen manufacturers.  Micro living is happening everywhere, not just in densely populated major cities, but in cities of all sizes across North America.  Read full article (Sept 2018)
Valuable information from CKCA member:
CKCA Vice-President Heidi Boudreault from Denca, based in Calgary, spoke with AkzoNobel’s Bob Averett, Global Colour Design Manager, and Rob Haley, Colour Trends Manager, to ask the questions that get to the heart of how colours are chosen and what influences those choices. Read full article (Jan 2020)

Could this be your next area of growth?

Micro living is here to stay and represents a huge area of potential growth for the kitchen cabinet industry.  This article explains further, but also attend the upcoming CKCA Eastern Regional event in Sherbrooke, QC, September 24/25 to get the full scoop from expert Eric Pothier, Director of Business Development, Richelieu.

Read article.