Every year there are about a thousand articles telling you what is trending in interior design. Most of them are written by people who have never set foot in a Kelowna home. They are pulling from European trade shows and Manhattan showrooms, and while some of that trickles down to the Okanagan eventually, a lot of it does not.
I am going to tell you what I am actually seeing in the projects I work on here. Real homes, real clients, real renovation decisions being made in Kelowna and the surrounding Okanagan Valley. Some of it lines up with the broader trends. Some of it is specific to how people live here.
Warm Tones Are Replacing the All-White Kitchen
The all-white kitchen had a good run. For about a decade it was the safe, sellable, universally appealing choice. But I am seeing a real shift toward warmth right now, and it makes sense for this region. We live in a landscape of warm ochres, sage greens, and golden light. White kitchens never really felt like they belonged here.
What I am seeing instead is a lot of warm white oak cabinetry, greige and warm beige tones, and painted cabinets in deep, earthy colours like warm sage, olive, and dusty terracotta. Countertops are moving toward warm-veined quartzite and leathered granite rather than the stark white Calacatta marble that dominated the last few years.
This is not a dramatic departure. It is more of a softening. The bones of the modern kitchen are still there, but the palette has shifted toward something that feels more connected to the landscape outside the window.
Natural Stone Is Having a Real Moment
Not just on countertops. I am seeing natural stone used on fireplace surrounds, feature walls, bathroom floors, and even kitchen backsplashes. Clients who would have chosen a porcelain tile a few years ago are now asking about real stone, and the options available through local suppliers have expanded a lot.
Soapstone is one I am specifying more often. It is beautiful, it ages gracefully, and it has a warmth that no engineered product can replicate. Limestone and travertine are also coming back in a big way, particularly in bathrooms where clients want that spa-like, organic feel.
The key with natural stone in the Okanagan is sealing and maintenance. I always have that conversation upfront so clients know what they are committing to. A stone that requires annual sealing is still worth it for a lot of people, but you want to go in with your eyes open.
Functional Mudrooms and Entryways
This one is not glamorous, but it is one of the most requested spaces I work on right now. Kelowna is an outdoor lifestyle city. People are coming in from hiking, biking, skiing, and the lake, and they need somewhere to land. A proper mudroom with built-in storage, bench seating, hooks at the right height, and somewhere to drop wet gear is genuinely life-changing for a family.
I am designing a lot of these as part of larger renovation projects, and the clients who invest in a well-designed entryway are always the happiest at the end. It is a space that gets used every single day, and when it works well, it changes how the whole house feels.
Open Concept Is Evolving
Full open concept, where the kitchen, dining, and living room are one completely unbroken space, is starting to feel dated. What I am seeing now is a more nuanced approach. Clients still want connection between the main living areas, but they also want some definition. A partial wall, a change in ceiling height, a kitchen island that acts as a visual boundary without closing the space off.
This is partly a practical shift. During the years when everyone was working from home, people realized that a completely open floor plan means noise travels everywhere and there is nowhere to have a private conversation. The pendulum is swinging back toward spaces that have some separation without going back to the closed-off floor plans of the 1980s.
Lighting as a Design Element
This is something I have been talking to clients about for years, and it is finally landing. Lighting is not just functional. It is one of the most powerful design tools in a renovation, and it is also one of the most commonly underfunded line items in a renovation budget.
In the Okanagan, we have incredible natural light for most of the year. The goal in a well-designed renovation is to maximize that natural light during the day and then create a layered artificial lighting scheme for the evening. That means recessed lighting on dimmers, task lighting under cabinets, pendant lights over islands and dining tables, and accent lighting to highlight architectural features or artwork.
The fixtures themselves have become much more of a statement piece. I am seeing a lot of sculptural pendants, unlacquered brass hardware, and matte black fixtures in spaces that want a more modern edge.
What This Means for Your Renovation
If you are planning a renovation in Kelowna and you want the result to feel current but not trendy, the answer is usually to lean into warm, natural materials and invest in the spaces you use every day. The kitchen, the bathrooms, the entryway. Get those right and the rest of the house follows.
If you want to talk through what these trends might look like in your specific home, I am always happy to do a consultation. Every house is different, and the best design decisions are always the ones that make sense for how you actually live.
