Jamie Banfield shares take on design trends at Vancouver Fall Home Show - Vancouver Sun, September 2025
This article was written by Lise Boullard and originally published in The Vancouver Sun.
After over a decade immersed in Vancouver’s interior design scene, working on everything from bathroom revamps to full-scale passive-home builds, Jamie Banfield is still loyal to his first design love.
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“I love kitchens the most out of any type of individual projects, because they’re so relatable to other [areas of the home],” says the principal of Jamie Banfield Design Inc. “If you can figure out how to do a good kitchen, you can do a mudroom or a pantry closet.”
Key to Banfield’s design philosophy is the importance of taking the emotion out of decision-making. “It’s the biggest asset of hiring a professional,” says the designer, who will be presenting his insights at the Vancouver Fall Home Show. “We do have empathy, and we’re thinking about stresses on budgets and things like that.”
But if a client says she wants a certain type of floor because “her sister has it,” Banfield says he will play devil’s advocate and ask a number of questions, including why and how it would work and whether it would be a fit for the client’s family, home and budget.
Banfield sees a home as a platform for self-expression, something he’s noticing clients embracing even more post-pandemic. “We’re seeing more confidence in showing [authentic] personality and style,” he says. The designer also believes that our connected world and global travel are influencing design tastes. “People are flying off to Hawaii, and seeing all of this gum wood and teak used in other places, and wanting to bring that home.”
At the home show, Banfield will share his take on other design trends, like the moody colour palette clients are embracing post-pandemic. He believes the move toward dark woods, paints and metals reflects people’s desire to feel cocooned and safe in their homes. “I really think a lot of this plays off of psychology.”
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Banfield and his team rebuilt a four-bedroom, 2,600-square-foot home in Sidney on Vancouver Island, and its moody kitchen is a striking example of this palette. It features metal light fixtures and accents, dark walnut millwork with integrated appliances and a four-foot-long galley sink.
The designer notes that integrated appliances are increasingly popular and are included “nine out of 10” times in kitchen projects. “We’re seeing a strong trend toward integrating hood fans into the overall design of the kitchen.”
In the case of a white kitchen in a Port Moody townhouse, Banfield’s team wrapped the stainless steel hood fan in plaster, making it look as though it was part of cabinetry. “We’re trying to build them in as much as possible.”
Banfield predicts an increased use of induction ovens and built-in air fryers as clients seek more convenience and energy efficiency. “Now you can buy a cartridge for some dishwashers, where it’s preloaded with all of the detergent. So you never actually put detergent in your dishwasher,” he says.
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At the same time, people still want simplicity, he says. “They don’t want 50 buttons.”
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Jamie Banfield will be presenting on the Main Stage on Oct. 23 at 6 p.m., Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. and Oct. 26 at 3:30 p.m.
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The Vancouver Fall Home Show runs from Oct. 23 to 26 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, West. Find the Main Stage and Cooking Stage schedules, a rundown of features and workshops, plus show hours and tickets at vancouverfallhomeshow.com.