Review: Montreal International Interior Design Show (SIDIM)

An international crowd gathered at the 13th annual Montreal International Interior Design Show (SIDIM), which took place in May at Montreal's Place Bonaventure. Approximately 300 exhibitors showcased lighting, fixtures, residential and office furniture, materials and new design products. An estimated 15,000 attendees poured in from Canada, the U.S., Europe, South America and Asia.

Special exhibitions within the show included the Tendenza Italia, a section honoring Italian design; Eco Design, a competition for local university students that invites green design; and a Tribute des Designers, where award-winning projects were shown on several large TV screens and the designers were available to talk about the projects.

A unique part of the event was the 2001 Commerce Design Montreal, an annual competition sponsored by the City of Montreal's Economic Urban Development Department in partnership with the Interior Designers Society of Quebec and the Association of Architects in Quebec. Now in its sixth year, the competition awards Montreal businesspeople for the design quality of their establishments. Then, after a jury selects the 20 grand-prize finalists, the public casts votes for the “People's Choice” winner. No winner had been announced at presstime.