At CEDIA Expo/CIX 2025, conversations across the show floor pointed to a renewed focus on true custom integration. After years of prioritizing speed, scale, and standardized installations, many in the industry are shifting back toward design driven solutions that emphasize collaboration, longevity, and performance. According to Eric Nakkila of Selective Design, the market is rediscovering principles that originally defined residential integration.
Nakkila describes the current moment as a return to fundamentals. Early custom installations were shaped around the home itself, but that approach gave way to product centric deployments as flat panel displays and packaged systems became dominant. Today, homeowners, architects, and interior designers are again driving demand for technology that blends into living spaces rather than competing with them visually.
European manufacturers are playing a growing role in this shift. Design oriented solutions developed for smaller, more refined European homes are increasingly resonating in the North American luxury market. Longevity, material quality, and aesthetic restraint are becoming higher priorities, particularly on high end residential projects.
Lighting emerged as one of the most evolved categories. Once limited to basic control, modern lighting systems now offer precise adjustment of color, beam angle, and intensity. These capabilities allow integrators to support architectural details, artwork, and furnishings with far greater nuance than in the past.
Audio is following a similar path. While whole home sound has existed for decades, advances in control platforms, streaming, and discreet speaker design have transformed how systems are deployed. Invisible speakers and architectural finishes allow audio to be experienced throughout the home without disrupting design intent.
Underlying these trends is a growing recognition that early collaboration between integrators, designers, architects, and homeowners leads to better outcomes. As the industry continues to mature, those partnerships are increasingly defining both project success and long-term business value.
