Updated September 2026 If you’re planning a kitchen or bathroom renovation in Montreal, one of the first questions to answer is whether your project requires a renovation permit. The short answer is: not always. According to the City of Montréal, cosmetic work such as replacing cabinets, countertops, flooring, a sink or a bathtub generally does not require a renovation permit. However, a permit is required for certain larger renovations, including work that affects walls or foundations,...

The difference is not aesthetic. It is intentional. There is a conversation I have had more times than I can count in Westmount. A family invites me into their home. The ceilings are high. The moldings are original. The furniture is beautiful. And somewhere in the middle of the tour they stop and say the same thing. We have spent so much on this house and it still does not feel right. It never takes long to see why. The home has been decorated. It has not been designed. The Difference Most...

The space has opinions. Most designers ignore them I walked into a Griffintown condo two years ago and immediately understood why the owner had been buying furniture for three years and still hated the room. It was not the furniture. The furniture was fine. It was that every piece had been chosen for a different version of the space. A version the owner had imagined but that the space itself had never agreed to. Griffintown does that to people. It looks like it should be easy to design. High...