Eco-friendly from the ground up
Local hardwood supplier raising the bar on industry standards
At the helm of a family-owned local manufacture of hardwood Purparket, Nick and Daniela Zaremba are out to make a difference. Being on-trend is of course important, but so too is being eco-conscious, say the couple.
The husband and wife team are both veterans of the design industry with decades of experience. Company president Nick literally grew up in the flooring industry working for his father's company (Value Wood Floors) from delivering, selling and installing hardwood flooring. “it is in his DNA,” says Daniela, co-owner and creative director.
The couple agreed, when launching the company in 2009, that ultimately, they didn't want to just sell other people's products, they wanted to create their own brand and offer products that are healthy for people and for the planet at large.
I visited their state-of-the-art facility in Etobicoke earlier this summer and was spellbound by all the painstaking steps they have taken to bring made-in-canada engineered wide plank hardwood flooring. The product is available at 70 retailers across Canada.
“Most other Canadian companies are still importing from southeast Asia and just finishing it here, which is a lot easier,” points out Daniela.
Needless to say, the Purparket way is more expensive, but in the bigger picture, the payoff is much larger than going with $2 to $3 per square foot price tag of flooring products shipped from the other parts of the world.
By investing in advanced machinery and moving the manufacturing to Etobicoke, the company employs 13 people locally and relies solely on mills located in Canada and the U.S. with the furthest coming from Wisconsin.
“We use local basswood lumber, which is a soft hardwood,” says Daniela.
And by maximizing lumber yield and contributing to forest management, the company has successfully reduced its carbon footprint by 70 per cent.
Daniela touts their success in part to the awareness of Canadian consumers who prefer to support local products and companies. “People started educating themselves during COVID and became knowledgeable on where things are coming from,” says Nick, adding there is a definite movement towards sourcing local materials and veering away from buying foreign products.
Beyond raising the bar on industry standards, the company is also on a mission to create uniqueness in the colours it offers, Daniela recently allowed her creativity take flight taking inspiration from the couple's recent travels. Their recent collection explores the essence of Canada with four new stunning colours.
Sechelt is a natural/raw tone floor colour inspired by the tranquil coastal charm of Sechelt; Honey Harbour is a warm mid-brown tone reminiscent of the sun-drenched allure of Honey Harbour; Jasper is a deeper brown tone that captures the rugged grandeur of Jasper's mountains; and, Muskoka celebrates the classic Muskoka style with its distinct character.
As far as flooring trends going into 2025, Daniela reveals: “The greys are definitely out. We are staying within medium-warm tones and lighter.”
The newer hues are inspired by nature creating that connection to the outdoors, she reflects
“There was a trend moving towards very clean-looking floors in a type of butter shade, now I see people wanting to play with different grades of wood adding a bit more character to floors.,” she adds.
For more information or to find a Purparket flooring location, visit: www.purparket.com.