DESIGN. The creative art of executing aesthetic or functional designs. (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary)

Although, until just a few years ago, the Plateau did not attract much attention, it has now become a prime destination for design lovers. No matter how often they visit, they continue to be fascinated by the look of the area's boutiques and businesses.

Since the inception of the Commerce Design Montréal competition in 1995, many of the top honours have gone to businesses on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, on Mont-Royal Avenue and in the rest of the district.

Looking at the restaurants, bars, cafés, fashion and furniture boutiques, bookstores, and hairdressing salons, you'd think the businesspeople of the Plateau had passed the word that, to attract the public, they had to create inviting spaces compounded of light and shade, of imaginative combinations of materials and, most importantly, of originality and inventiveness.

Click on a business to find out more about it.