Interior Design Statistics in Canada

Interior design is big business both globally and nationally as people are increasingly interested in creating comfortable and functional spaces at home. In the commercial world, the focus is on sustainability, collaborative spaces, and wellbeing. 

In this article, we have collated facts and figures about the interior design industry in Canada, ranging from employment figures to the most popular interior design trends in recent years.

Interior Design Statistics for Canadians

• The term interior designer was first used in an American magazine in the 1930s.
• The Global interior design market is expected to reach over $339 billion by 2027.
• Almost half of the specialised design service sales in Canada come from interior design.
• In 2024, there were 25,122 specialised design services establishments in Canada.
• 73% of all Canadian interior designers are based in Ontario and British Columbia.
• The overall revenue from the interior design sector rose to an estimated $2.6 billion in 2025.
• The average annual salary for an interior designer in Canada is about $65,813 (January 2026), with regional differences.
• The organization Interior Designers of Canada offers over 900 online courses to its members.
• The IDC awards over $10,000 in bursaries and scholarships annually.

A brief history of interior design

Despite people always wanting to have comfortable and functional homes, the profession of interior design is just over one hundred years old. It began as the art of decorating that embraced form and function and grew into today’s highly specialised areas of interior design.

The term interior decorator was first used in America in the early 1900s. Decorators at the time had no academic credentials in the field. The first interior decorator to be given a design commission was Elsie de Wolfe and in 1913, she published the first interior design book The House in Good Taste. The first commercial interior decorator was Dorothy Draper who established her design firm in 1923.

The term interior designer was first used in the 1930s in the Interior Design and Decoration magazine.

Today, interior design specialties include design for aging in place, healthcare design, educational and institutional design, specialty workplace design, and universal design.

The global industrial design market

Globally, the interior design market is expected to reach over $339 billion by 2027 despite the pandemic having negatively affected the projected revenue trends. Based on existing statistics, the market is predicted to continue a steady growth on the global scale.

The commercial segment dominates the interior design services industry with projects such as airports, offices, smart cities, and a range of commercial buildings. There is a lot of emphasis on wellness, sustainable features, employees’ mental health, and collaborative office spaces. The compound annual growth rate for commercial interior design is expected to be 7.5% between 2020 and 2027.

Revenue from the interior design industry

The overall revenue from the interior design sector in Canada was about $2.2 billion in 2022. In comparison, in the United States interior design industry revenue was 14 billion US dollars. By 2025, the Canadian interior design industry’s revenue is estimated at about $2.6 billion, reflecting continued growth in residential and commercial demand.

The industry statistics from IbisWorld show that the interior design industry in Canada has been growing steadily since the mid‑2010s. The growth rate between 2015 and 2020 was 2%. Even though there has been a decline in nonresidential construction, that has been offset by growth in residential construction. Overall industry revenue has continued to increase over recent years with a compound annual growth trend, although some years saw slower growth or modest declines as demand shifted and macroeconomic conditions evolved.

Distribution of sales of specialized design services in Canada

According to Statistics Canada, in 2019, interior design services were the largest interior design sector with a 45% share of the sales followed by graphic design services with a 29% share. Related products and services represented 11% of the total sales, industrial design 8%, and other specialized design services the remaining 7% of the sales. In 2023, interior design services continued to be the largest segment within specialized design services, accounting for about 46.3% of total sales, with graphic design services the next largest at 27.2%.

Interior design’s portion of the specialized design services (SDS) has been growing year by year. In 2016, the interior design services represented 40.5% of the SDS sales in Canada. By the following year, the percentage was 41.2% and in 2018 it jumped to 44.8% of all sales. By 2023, this share had increased further to around 46.3%, continuing its position as the dominant segment of the specialized design services industry.

Number of interior design establishments in Canada

According to the Government of Canada’s statistics on industry in Canada, there were 7,791 interior design establishments in the country in 2022. The services offered by these companies included mainly planning, designing, and managing of interior design projects that fit legal requirements and the brief provided by their clients. By 2024, the number of establishments classified under specialized design services (which includes interior design) had grown: there were about 25,122 establishments nationally, with 5,177 employer establishments and 19,945 non‑employers or indeterminate establishments in this sector.

35% of the interior design establishments in Canada specialize in workplace design. The second most popular specialism is residential design, with 31% of designers choosing this option. Interior designers of public and institutional spaces account for 5% and healthcare designers for 4%. 

Interior design employment figures

In 2019, the employment rate in the interior design industry was 99.9%. Interestingly, only 1,935 of Canada’s interior design establishments had more than one employee. The majority of Canada’s interior design establishments were non‑employers or had an indeterminate status, meaning they have no staff on payroll, but may use contracted workers. By 2024, of the 25,122 establishments in the broader specialized design services category (which includes interior design), 5,177 had one or more employees, while 19,945 were non‑employers or indeterminate, with about 80% of employers classified as micro‑businesses (1–4 employees).

In the 2024 specialized design services data, about 80% of employer establishments were micro‑businesses (1–4 employees), around 19.9% were small (5–99 employees), and only about 0.1% were medium‑sized; there were still no large employers (500+ employees) in this sector.

According to Statistics Canada, there were 24,600 interior designers in Canada in active employment during the 2016 census. The total number of interior designers and decorators in the country at the time was 25,635. The number of designers and craftspersons was 118,940. As of 2025, estimates suggest there are approximately 7,778 interior designers in Canada, reflecting the number of businesses and practitioners classified under this profession.

Based on the member statistics of Interior Designers of Canada, 73% of all Canadian interior designers are based in Ontario and British Columbia. Over half of the interior designers are in Ontario with 53% while 20% are based in British Columbia. Recent membership data continue to show a strong concentration of interior designers in Ontario and British Columbia, consistent with this earlier trend.

Interior designer salary in Canada

According to the recruitment website Indeed, the average base salary for an interior designer in Canada is $65,813 per year (January 2026). There are regional differences in the salaries, with some of the highest averages listed in Markham, Ontario at around $84,400 per year and Victoria, British Columbia at about $73,115 per year.

The average salary listed on PayScale is a little lower at around $60,000 per year (2025), including tips, bonuses, and overtime pay. An entry‑level interior designer can expect to earn around $43,120 per year and designers with one to four years of experience have an average salary closer to $53,339 per year.

Interior designers who have been working for five to nine years can earn about $58,000–$77,000 per year on average, ten to nineteen years will get around $77,323 per year, and those with twenty years or more in the industry can expect to earn roughly $77,000–$90,000+ per year depending on experience and employer.

Employment requirements for interior designers and decorators

What qualifications are interior designers and decorators expected to have in Canada? An interior designer is usually expected to have a college diploma or a university degree in interior design. After six years of combined studies and work experience, interior designers may also need to take the National Council for Interior Design Qualification exam.

Interior decorators will usually need a college certificate or a diploma. They can also get a membership in the Canadian Decorators’ Association once they qualify.

Job description

Various job titles come under the interior designer umbrella, which includes interior decorator, interior design technician, interior designer, kitchen designer, office space planner, project manager, interior design retail space planner, and aircraft interior designer.

Some duties of interior designers include consulting with clients to determine the purpose of space as well as the clients’ needs, preferences, and safety requirements. As part of the planning development, interior designers may also be required to create 3D models using computer-assisted design software.

An interior designer will also advise clients on colours, finishes, and materials and estimate their costs. They will also need to consider ergonomic and occupational health standards for commercial assignments.

Interior designers may specialize in residential, commercial, cultural, industrial, or institutional buildings. They may also focus on designing the interiors of aircraft, ships, or trains.

There are over 900 online courses on interior design for members of IDC

Members of the Interior Designers of Canada have access to over 900 online courses. The organization provides its members with a Continuing Education program with access to courses on topics such as up-to-date industry regulations, trends, and business and management practices.

The IDC’s Continuing Education Council also awards over $10,000 in bursaries and scholarships each year.

Recent trends in interior design

According to Decorilla, multifunctional spaces were the most in-demand design during the height of the pandemic with people having to work and study from home. The sales of functional furniture that visually divides spaces have increased in recent years.

The design industry statistics also show that the demand for creating office spaces at home increased during the pandemic. People looked to add workstations into living rooms, guestrooms, hallways, closets, and even the spaces under the stairs.

Sustainable choices have also become increasingly popular with more people looking to decorate their homes with antique and vintage pieces.

When decorating their homes, Canadians preferred neutral colours and natural decor combined with bold prints. Paints such as salmon, eggshell, and blush were popular, while floral prints were popular choices for feature walls, furnishings, and furniture.

Upcoming trends

Following the pandemic, people still look for a mix of comfort and practicality in interior design and the demand for eco-friendly, sustainable options continues. The eco-chic design style aims to look handcrafted and employs earthy colours such as olive and moss greens, gold, and beige and fabrics including velvet and linen. Furniture needs to be well-made, multifunctional, and most of all, long-lasting.

A popular aesthetic named “grand millennial” is one of the emerging trends of 2022 and 2023. It is a blend of grandma and millennial, of nostalgia, and modernity. The style features fabrics and patterns associated with a typical grandma’s house and combines them with modern furniture and crisp paints. The main aim of the style is to add physical and emotional comfort to the design. In 2026, this nostalgia‑meets‑modern style continues to evolve, with designers embracing vintage‑inspired patterns.

Looking ahead to 2026 and 2027, there is a shift toward expressive, personalized interiors, where warm, earthy and vibrant palettes, sculptural furniture, and tactile, layered textures dominate. Designers also predict calm, spa‑inspired spaces, mixed materials, and sustainable, organic finishes as key themes in 2026 and into 2027.

Conclusion

The revenue from interior design in Canada is growing and there are good job prospects within the industry with predicted labour shortages in the near future. 45% of sales within the specialized design services in Canada come from interior design.

Ontario is the interior design capital of Canada with 53% of the country’s interior designers based in the province. Interior designers in Richmond and London command the highest average annual salaries.