hinterhouse

How would you describe hinterhouse in a nutshell?

hinterhouse is a space that merges design and nature, where luxury is redefined and wellbeing is at the forefront. Research shows that beautiful design and being immersed in nature change how you feel and we want people to feel good.

What is the story behind hinterhouse, what was your inspiration to create it?

My partner used to be in the tech world and travelled a lot for work, including to the Nordic region. He was inspired by the architecture there and the way it seamlessly merged with epic scenery. When you were inside, it felt like you were outside. He began asking why we didn’t have much of this in North America, especially in Canada, and decided to make it happen.

He was also inspired by the architecture and design he saw in books and knew that it made him feel a certain way but wasn’t sure why. Over time, ideas emerged and he began working with an architect to create hinterhouse.

Before hinterhouse, he owned something similar to what is now hintercabin x, initially as a home and later as a weekend escape. Once hinterhouse was in the works, we began renting out the original hintercabin and discovered that a lot of people wanted that experience of reconnecting with nature and themselves, so much so that we were booking our six months in advance! Eventually we ended up selling the original hintercabin as we felt it was in an area that wasn’t best for rentals and we built the current hintercabin x.

After we had been operating the properties for a little while, we realised there was something missing. We wanted to bring people to nature and were telling them how important it was but we also wanted to show them how much we cared as a company. Rather than just committing to carbon neutrality, we decided to go carbon negative and are now giving back more than we are taking. With every guest that stays, we plant 10 trees with One Tree Planted, which equates to more than 1,500 trees a year for each of the spaces.

On top of that, we believe that within the house should speak the same language. So the brands and products we use are all local, eco-friendly and/or sustainable. Many of the products come from The Unscented Company — a Montreal-based business that uses only biodegradable products and refillable bottles. All of the linen we use for the bedding and robes is also sustainable. We want to create a community of companies that care, so that when guests come to stay, they feel it from every angle.

How would you describe the atmosphere and interior design of hinterhouse?

hinterhouse is an architecturally designed space in the middle of nature where the inside meets out and the outside meets in — the lines are blurred. It is constructed from 60% glass, so when you are sitting inside you have amazing views but with the warmth and comfort of being inside. The design is very minimalistic with some Japanese cues. We believe that less is more and less allows you to feel creative, nostalgic, safe and comfortable.

To you personally, what is so special about hinterhouse?

In this part of Canada, we were one of the first houses to be taking such a sustainable approach — creating a feeling and community, not just a space. I feel that we are strong with our branding and what we stand for and we try to make guests feel that they are doing something good and giving back by staying with us. At hinterhouse, they are experiencing something that is hard to compare with anything else — the nature is intrusive in the best way!

From start to finish, I don’t think there is anywhere else like it. From the second a guest books, they know they are planting trees. Before they even come to stay, they can learn about the house and what to expect. During the stay, there is a lot of communication between the manager and guests and even after they leave, we touch base occasionally as we want them to return.