Story & Lesson Highlights with Stina Funch of Northridge

We recently had the chance to connect with Stina Funch and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Stina, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What are you chasing, and what would happen if you stopped?
I don’t see myself as chasing anything anymore.. ; I focus on attracting the right opportunities, experiences, and collaborations. By staying clear on my values, trusting my instincts, and creating spaces that reflect who I am, the things and people that belong in my orbit naturally show up.

If I stopped “attracting”—if I stopped being intentional and present—then I’d lose the sense of flow that guides both my work and my life. For me, it’s not about pursuit; it’s about alignment and noticing what comes my way.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Stina Funch, founder and creative director of Atwater Inc., a Los Angeles–based interior design studio focused on boutique hotels and thoughtfully layered hospitality spaces. My path into design wasn’t linear. I began my career in hotel management, working in Copenhagen, London, and Dubai — experiences that taught me how hotels truly live and breathe long before I ever began designing them.

That operational foundation continues to shape my work today. Atwater sits at the intersection of design and real life, creating environments that are both intuitive and expressive. We specialize in spaces with a strong sense of place — hotels that feel rooted, warm, and quietly memorable, whether they’re independent properties or thoughtful brand conversions.

Atwater is intentionally boutique and deeply collaborative. I work closely alongside a small, trusted team — Ohlisa and Sara — designers whose creativity, intuition, and attention to detail are central to every project. Leading the studio at this scale allows me to stay deeply involved in the work while also curating and nurturing a team that shares a sensibility rooted in respect for process and care for the work. Together, we keep the studio personal, considered, and thoughtfully executed.

What makes our work distinctive is perspective. We design with an understanding of how spaces are experienced day after day — by guests, staff, and owners alike — balancing intuition with practicality. A Scandinavian sensibility brings restraint and clarity, while California adds ease, light, and openness.

Right now, we’re focused on growing Atwater while working across a mix of destination-driven projects that value story, longevity, and authenticity. At the heart of everything we do is a simple belief: design should feel human. It should work beautifully, age gracefully, and invite people to return — not just once, but again and again.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My friend Ronni saw me clearly before I fully saw myself. We’ve known each other for over twenty years, and through every chapter she believed in my instincts and my ability to build something meaningful long before I had the confidence to fully claim it. Our friendship has only deepened over time, and that kind of steady, unwavering belief is rare. I truly wish everyone could have a Ronni in their life.

I’ve also been incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by people who showed up when I needed it most. During a period of intense turmoil in my life, including the loss of both my parents, I was held by a community that rallied around me in quiet, generous ways. My friends are not all in one place — they form a constellation of friends spread across the world, whose presence has always felt close, constant, and deeply grounding.

Ohlisa is very much part of that family — the good mother of all the fur babies, the chickens, and really the whole household. Her care, steadiness, and humor have meant more than words can express.

And my son has been my greatest anchor. Becoming a mom shaped how I move through the world — it required strength, clarity, and showing up even on the hardest days. In many ways, he gave me a reason to keep going before I realized how strong I already was.

Looking back, I realize I was often seen through love, support, and trust before I could fully see myself again. That collective care carried me forward, and I hold it with deep gratitude.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell her that she doesn’t need to hold everything together on her own. That her sensitivity is not a weakness, and that trusting her instincts will take her exactly where she needs to go — even when the path feels uncertain.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
I believe that intention carries weight — that how something is made, and why, is felt long after the details fade. You may not be able to point to it exactly, but you feel it when a space, a conversation, or a decision feels right.

I also believe that timing and connection matter more than we often acknowledge. Looking back, things rarely unfold perfectly, but they tend to unfold with meaning.

I can’t prove any of this. I just know it’s been true in my work, my relationships, and in the choices I’ve learned to trust over time.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
Growing up on a small island in Denmark, I was convinced I wanted to be an air hostess… then I pivoted hard and decided I would be a great attorney. My mother, very calmly, suggested that Hotel School in Copenhagen might be a very good idea instead. I listened — mostly.

Little did I know that years later I’d be designing the very hotels I once learned how to operate. What felt like practical advice at the time turned out to be quiet genius.

So maybe I wasn’t doing what I thought I was born to do — but between island roots, good guidance, a few detours, and a lot of curiosity, I somehow landed exactly where I belong.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.atwaterinc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atwaterincstudio/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stinafunch/
• Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/atwdesignstudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atwdesignstudio/

Image Credits
Robert Miller.
Atwater INC. 3D Visuals