020: in depth: a time to turn inward
Design in Dialogue with the Wild • Grounding Through Nature • Design Spotlight: Studio KO • A Short Film at hinterhouse • The Light we Live in • A Pause in Your Day • Art in Our Spaces
November has a way of grounding us. Softer and less frequent light, cooler air…life moves at a different pace. There’s more time to think, to notice, to be where we are.
This time of year is about slowing down before the rush of the season ahead. A calmer morning, a meal cooked from what’s in season, a walk before the day starts. Small things that make us feel connected again.
As the world outside shifts, we do too. This issue is about that change. About depth as something we build through attention; how we spend our time, what we bring into our spaces, and the way we move through the months ahead.
grounding through nature
Nature recalibrates us. Studies show that time spent outdoors lowers cortisol, improves focus, and even enhances creativity. But what’s interesting isn’t only why this happens, it’s how our environments mirror those effects indoors.
Designers and architects are beginning to study what’s called biophilic design, a philosophy that reintroduces natural elements into built environments. Think organic shapes, natural light, and materials like stone and wood that age and shift with time. Spaces that mimic the rhythms of nature (subtle changes in temperature, light, or sound) remind us that architecture is a living dialogue with the environment. These spaces actually support nervous system balance, helping us rest more deeply and think more clearly.
And when we spend time in places built with that in mind, something inside us slows down too. Our breath deepens. Our attention softens. The space itself seems to teach us how to rest.
We’ve gathered a few spaces that embody this philosophy, like cabins surrounded by forest, homes that open directly to the water, and quiet retreats designed to help you reconnect with what’s real. These are places where design and nature move together, where you can feel the landscape in every material, every moment.
browse nature-immersed stays on ddriftt
yuki’s prelude
film by david thuman, captured at hinterhouse
David Thuman’s short film, Yuki’s Prelude, follows a fleeting moment in time: the arrival of Yukimushi, or snow bugs, are tiny creatures that appear just before the first snowfall in Japan.
David hadn’t planned the story; the forest offered it to him. The result is a quiet reflection on how nature and architecture move together; how stillness, temperature, and texture can shape emotion as deeply as light or sound. Through his lens, hinterhouse becomes less a building and more a living organism, breathing through the seasons.
In a world that often rushes forward, Yuki’s Prelude reminds us that depth is found in observation, in the seconds before change, in the subtle signs that a new season has begun.
Inner Harmony: A Collaboration with Joy Kinna
Last year, artist Joy Kinna spent time moving through our Tremblant spaces — noticing how the light shifted across the walls at hinterhaven, how the forest framed each window at hintercabin x, how stillness seemed to settle into the architecture itself at hinterhouse. She carried those impressions back to her studio on Vancouver Island, where they became the foundation for Inner Harmony.
The piece reflects what we think good design makes possible: softness, balance, and an invitation to slow down. It felt like a natural fit for our homes, so we collaborated with Joy to bring Inner Harmony into the hinter spaces. The prints now live across our properties, blending into wood, concrete, and shadow.
The print officially released on October 16, 2025, and is now available through Joy’s shop. What we love most about this collaboration is how seamlessly the work speaks to our spaces. It shifts a room just enough to make you pause — the kind of pause that feels right for this season.
design spotlight: studio KO
Based between Paris and Marrakech, Studio KO approaches architecture as a dialogue with the landscape. Founded by Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty, their work has a way of feeling inevitable, like it belongs exactly where it stands. Materials are local. Forms are simple. Every detail is deliberate.
Their spaces are quiet, but not minimal for minimalism’s sake. They use texture, shadow, and natural materials to create buildings that feel alive to their surroundings. The Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech is one example; a structure that mirrors the colours and rhythm of the desert around it.
Even their website feels like an extension of their architecture: slow, tactile, and intentional. It’s designed for exploration. You move through it the way you’d move through one of their buildings: with attention.
Studio KO’s work is a reminder that thoughtful design listens—to material, to place, and to time.
a pause in the day
There’s something so centering about taking a few minutes to savor what’s in front of you; the first sip, the first sound, the first moment of quiet. These small rituals might not look like much, but they’re often what keep us anchored.
For some, it’s a slow coffee ritual. At hinterhouse, we’ve been using the AnZa coffee machine; a sculptural object built from concrete and steel, designed as much for presence as for function. It’s coffee as craft: The process is unhurried, deliberate, and deeply satisfying. It’s available during your stay at hinterhouse for a limited time.
For others, it’s a cup of ceremonial organic matcha from Aikenka, matcha we have been sipping for years now. Whisked by hand, we like to savor it for its earthy calm in a ceramic cup. The process is tactile — watching the powder dissolve, the foam rise, the steam lift. It’s a daily practice in focus and calm, a reminder that beauty lives in repetition.
And as the day ends, when we’re in the mood for a drink, it’s Gin Sul — bright and herbal with notes of lemon peel and rosemary. Best when sipped as the light fades and the air cools; a small reminder that the day doesn’t need to end in a rush.
No matter which ritual speaks to you, the intention is the same: to pause long enough to notice.
→ slow down, sip slowly, stay awhile.
the light we live in
Light changes how we feel. In fall, when daylight shortens, the tone of light softens too. The sun sits lower in the sky, filtering through trees and windows in a deeper amber. It invites stillness.
At hinterhaven, photographer Luca Marra captured this transition; the way light bends through glass and reflects on wood.
The same philosophy runs through the lamps designed by Stamatios Fragos. His handcrafted pieces, inspired by Greco-Roman columns, create atmosphere. The warmth they cast echoes the glow of early evening; light that asks you to slow down, to stay a little longer.
Studies show that warm light helps regulate our circadian rhythm and calm the nervous system. It’s nature’s reminder that even light has a rhythm; and we do better when we follow it.
nancy guignard x hinter
Following Nancy’s stay at shadow lakehouse, she’s working on something special for her shop. For now, here’s a glimpse at her photography featured at hinterhouse. Stay tuned, and take a look at her work during your stay.
community question
What practices help you turn inward and reconnect with yourself as the season deepens?
It could be journaling, pottery, evening walks, cooking slow meals, time offline, or something else entirely. Reply to our Substack or send us a message on Instagram. We’ll share a selection of responses in next month’s issue, so the hinter planet can reflect not only the corners of the internet we’re discovering, but also what this community is experiencing and creating.
closing thought: returning to the roots
Depth Season is about reconnecting with yourself and the world. Paying attention again. Letting the noise fade long enough to notice what matters.
Maybe that’s the point of all this: to remember that grounding isn’t something we do once a year. It’s something we return to, again and again.
This month, notice what pulls you back to your center. The light in your home at dusk. The sound of a bamboo whisk frothing a bowl of matcha. The small rituals that remind you that you’re here, and that being here is enough.
The future is bright.
Any thoughts provoked? Ideas sparked? Any corners of the internet worth sharing? Join the conversation and drop a comment below.
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