Young Montreal-based practice Studio Kiff (led by Hélène Thiffault and Rachel Bussin) defines its aesthetic as nonconformist and responsive. Pulling references from a wide variety of sources, such as 1990s normcore and 1970s radical design, the AN Interior 2019 Emerging Designer studio approaches each new project with a tabula rasa mindset that balances decorative and practical elements.

Deeply embedded in the Canadian city’s burgeoning creative scene, Studio Kiff’s clients are fellow entrepreneurs looking to make their mark in a saturated fashion and design world. Young skateboard and fashion accessories brand Dime is no different.

The popular streetwear label called on Studio Kiff to outfit its first brick-and-mortar space. The compact store, which is Bussin and Thiffault’s second interior design project, centers around a stepped, granite podium. This “altar” is adorned with shoe-ware, ceremonial vases, and a personalized bowling ball—items that reference the brand’s meteoric rise. An intentionally kitsch painting of an erupting volcano hangs above this mise-en-scène.

The same granite helps delineate monolithic display plinths and a sales counter, and plays off a muted tile pattern in shadowbox recesses and back walls. Wood paneling covers an entire side of the store to encase a tiered skateboard display, steel shelving, built-in seating, and a miniature mobile rack for baby merchandise.

This unlikely pairing of materials makes for a visually striking scheme that is also conducive to Dime’s laid-back ethos. However ornate and aesthetically sophisticated the space might be, it still exudes a sense of comfort and ease.