AWA × HINTER
Interview featuring Emily and Mauricio
View post on Instagram.
There are places that quiet the mind simply by existing, where architecture dissolves into landscape, and time slows to its natural rhythm. Hinter is one of those places. Founded by Emily and Mauricio, Hinter has redefined what it means to stay somewhere, creating spaces that feel both designed and discovered. Minimal yet deeply warm, each stay is a meditation on intentional living, where every beam, scent, and shadow invites you to pause.
In this conversation with AWA, Emily reflects on the origins of Hinter, their move from Montreal to Portugal, and the quiet rituals that shape their days. We explore how design can reconnect us to nature, what it means to live deliberately, and how a simple pause, whether a breath, a beam of golden light, or a glass of sparkling water, can restore balance in a restless world.
The beginning
How would you describe hinter?
Hinter is a hospitality brand that believes deeply in architecture and nature coming together and slowing down to live intentionally. We create minimal spaces immersed in nature, so that people have space both physically and mentally to disconnect and get in touch with the world both within them and around them.
Why did you create hinter?
We created hinter so that we could share this feeling we had when we ourselves used to stay at our spaces in nature; peacefulness, calm, inspiration, simply by being in places where the design facilitates that connection with nature. We wanted to share that experience with others, and so we created a small collection of Scandinavian inspired spaces to book and stay at. We also felt it was important to have a direct positive impact on the environment, so we plant trees for every stay, and we build and furnish the spaces with sustainable materials, often with local artisans, and small furniture makers. We feel that creating a hotel has to be sustainable in all senses, and has to have roots and a connection to both the planet and the communities around it.
What about your past made it a fit for you?
We both have somewhat surprising pasts in the context of us being hoteliers now. Mauricio was the president of a software company, and I was an elementary school teacher. But both of us always cared deeply for the planet, and we both are sensitive to our environments and have always cared about design. So it felt like such a natural fit for both of us when we created hinter 7 years ago.
Rituals & “taking pause”
How do you take pause?
I love to do box-breathing when I feel overwhelmed or overstimulated. I close my eyes and breathe in for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, then out for a count of 4 and another hold for a count of 4. As I do this I visualize my breath moving around in a square-like shape. I repeat this process for as long as I need it. When I open my eyes, I feel renewed and much calmer. Recentered. Aligned. Ready to continue my day.
How do you set the tone for a pause?
If possible, a quiet space is helpful. Bonus points if it smells good and earthy.
Change of scenery
Why the move from Montreal to Portugal?
Mauricio and I had been toying with the idea for years, but it wasn’t the right time then, as we were in the process of trying to conceive. Once our daughter was 7 months old, we had come back to Lisbon for a trip, and we finally decided to make it a reality and left about 6 months later. If it’s something burning in your soul, I think it’s important for you to do it. We both felt so called to this experience, and we figured, if not now, when?
How has living in Portugal shifted your pace, palette, or point of view?
Living in Portugal has both slowed me down and sped me up. Lisbon has allowed me a lifestyle where I can be incredibly present and mindful of who I have in my life, what my days look like, and it has given me clarity on what I want to do and what dreams I want to accomplish and bring to life. So as much as that grounds me, it also has created a spark…an ignition if you will, in which I feel more alive and creative and my days are more full than ever. Full in a good sense. Not busy; full. Complete. Satisfied. Expansive. This has shifted how I see my lifestyle and the stage of my life I am in. Being in Montreal, the city I grew up in, I started feeling less inspired and as if being a woman in my mid thirties with a child meant that my main purpose now was to be a mother. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a mother and my daughter is the best thing that happened to me, but I am also a woman; a creative being that has much to do in this world. Living in Lisbon makes that all feel very real, and has already started to come to fruition.
What places here feel like instant calm for you?
There is a beach in Alentejo, Portugal, that I have been visiting for years. It’s often completely empty. A long stretch of golden sand, huge sand dunes, the Atlantic ocean. This is the beach I meditated on and prayed for my daughter. It’s my (kind of) secret place that is instant calm and happiness for me. The fact that I live an hour from this beach, still blows my mind.
Home, materials & essentials
What are the things you can’t live without in a home?
Good lighting. Can’t say it enough. No bright, white overhead lights please. I need soft, dim, golden light. Warmth. Vibes. I love floor lamps and lamps to have on consoles. Different heights, different shapes, but lamps are everything.
Nature & sensory signature
What is the relationship of hinter to nature?
Hinter literally means hidden or behind, and so this came from the idea that spaces can be tucked into nature, and give the feeling that you are outside, even when you are comfortably inside. When our spaces are built, we work with the architects to work with the landscape, not against it. We want people to see the world outside through the floor to ceiling windows as the art that it is. The changing seasons, each painting a different picture as the months go by. Our guests love to visit multiple times a year for that exact reason; even within the same four walls, the experience is unique. Different light, different colours outside, and therefore, a different feeling within.
What is the soundtrack and scent of a hinter home?
We actually create playlists for our spaces and send them to our guests. We have some for the evening, some for the morning. Although, we also encourage quiet so you can hear the world around you. Opening windows and hearing the wind and birds, or the fire crackling in the room. The scent is woodsy, lots of cedar. We have some sustainable home and body care with scents inspired by nature, but otherwise, we let the outdoors trickle in and do its thing.
Advice & reflections
What do you wish more people knew about creating a calm home on a real-world budget?
I wish more people realized that you don’t need a million details to make a space calm and inviting; you need the right details. They don’t all need to be high-end either. It’s about finding a balance. Not everyone has a house in the middle of the woods, but there’s still ways to bring in calm. Finding pieces that have elements of nature and using earthy tones are helpful too.
One small change readers can make this week to create more pause.
Don’t check your phone for the first 30 minutes of the day. If that’s too daunting, start with 10 minutes. It’s such a simple thing, but it lets your nervous system find calm, before the world rushes in. If you want to take it to the next level, try exposing yourself to natural sunlight if possible (even by the window) before any artificial light.
What do you like most about your AWA products? How is AWA part of your daily routine?
I love the design of the products and how they go beautifully with our kitchen in Lisbon. Mauricio is a huge sparkling water fan, so he loves having a carafe along for the day. Funny enough, our 20-month old daughter, Olive loves it too, and calls it “bubbly”.
What’s your favorite sparkling water based recipe everyone should try?
Sparkling water, lemon, and any fresh herbs for the summer. In the fall, rosemary is a fun one and makes it cozier.
Ready to turn your own home into a sanctuary?
Start making homemade sparkling water today.
Carbonator / Carafe / CO2 Refills
Interview by AWA
Images by Nancy Guignard and Bianca Lessard and Nestor Pool
Follow Hinter & AWA at @hintercompany / @drink_awa
View post on Instagram.
