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Designing a space you’ll love – whether it’s hot or not

If it were up to designer Cynthia Soda, the greatest story ever told about you would be your home.

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It’s why she starts every project with an onboarding questionnaire designed to pick up on a client’s likes and dislikes, and why the most important task when she visits their space is getting to know what really matters to them.

As for trends? Though they can influence the choices available when selecting furniture, finishes, paint colours or fabrics, they don’t necessarily inspire her. Instead she discovers creativity in homeowners themselves.

“I love things that tell a story – that’s what makes the design yours,” said Soda, principal interior designer and founder of Soda Pop Design Inc.

In a recent blog post, Soda writes how for her, the point of a trend is to encourage people to look at things in a different way. Maybe you hadn’t thought of glass block, which according to Architectural Digest is “cool again.” But if you like the look, go for it, she says.

“Are you here for it or not?” said Soda. “Some people say, ‘No! Absolutely not. This can stay in history’ … but other people like the idea that it still allows complete privacy while letting light in.”

Many trends are reincarnations of things past, only “lightly dusted” so they’re not exactly the same. In some cases, like the recent rediscovery of limewash paint, styles once associated with the poor are now seen as luxurious.

Fashions come and go, but when Soda sees something she loves — like the contour drawing wallpaper she recently installed in a client’s powder room — she always tucks it away in her mind, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

“I hang onto it in my proverbial back pocket until I get to use it,” said Soda. “If we get the right clients, I’m going to suggest it — kind of like playing matchmaker.”

Trends on Soda’s radar for 2025 include mixing different wood finishes, considered “such a faux pas” not long ago; layering textures and colours to break up the monotony of white on white or white on grey; curves and soft corners; and, a big push towards brown.

She’s also finding that people are gravitating towards more natural finishes and rooms curated for everyday living, a trend she calls “nothing precious.”

“We’re always seeing and getting exposed to what the coming trends are, and sometimes to me they feel a little late,” said Soda, who was mixing wood finishes nearly a decade ago and recently chose a gorgeous stone detail as the focal point for a client’s main living area, well before stone reigned supreme.

“It was a very green bold stone that’s not for everyone,” said Soda, who urged her client to go with it as long as it made them feel good. “You don’t have to second guess it because you’re not building it for someone else, you’re building it for you.”