The Quiet Luxury of Wood

An object's value is often determined by its outward shine, but there exists a special dimension of luxury — understated, restrained, yet possessing a timeless depth. This is what is called intrinsic value — an inner worth that requires no labels or logos. For over three decades, Ebony and Co has been creating precisely this type of luxury — wooden flooring that serves generations and becomes part of family histories. Today, Jan Semotam, Sales Director of Ebony and Co in Dubai, shares his experience, philosophy and reflections on entering the Dubai market — one of the world's most dynamically developing regions.

"It's impossible," an architect told us, looking at plans for a future project requiring boards over ten metres long. "That's wonderful, exactly my sort of challenge," our client replied. He asked how long we would need to bring this idea to life. Bastiaan, our Dutch partner, said we would require eighteen months to two years and would have to build a specialised factory. The client simply nodded: "Get on with it." That's how our factory in Holland was born — created for a project with twelve-metre boards that seemed technically unfeasible at the time.

Such stories form the DNA of our company. Our work involves constantly seeking solutions for unique challenges set by the most demanding clients, architects and designers. We don't look for easy paths; we search for perfect solutions. When someone says "it's impossible," for us, that's more the beginning of an interesting journey than a reason to abandon a project.

The story of Ebony and Co began more than 30 years ago when three partners united to create a brand that would bring to the world of wooden flooring what already existed in the worlds of fashion and design. Our company originated in the United States when our founders received a commission to renovate an old property. They needed to find long, wide boards to replace damaged floor elements while preserving authenticity and avoiding compromises. Finding such boards took considerable time, but the project was successfully completed.

It soon became clear that such a product was in demand beyond that single project. New interesting clients, architects and designers appeared. Among our first projects in the USA was the famous home of Donna Karan. We completed three projects for the Clinton family, worked with Harrison Ford and many others. We used to include our list of distinguished clients in our presentation book, but over time it grew so large that it no longer fit on a single A4 sheet.

Initially, the company's financial headquarters was in Europe, in Dublin. Over time, new partners appeared, including the Dutchman Bastiaan Smits, who had experience in the fashion world. With his arrival, our approach to creating collections changed. If previously we produced wide, long boards with classic American finishes in warm, cherry or yellowish tones, thanks to Dutch influence, we began experimenting with new colours and textures.

The name of our company Ebony and Co has profound meaning. Ebony is a rare, beautiful and valuable wood species. The ebony we incorporate into our name is a rare Red Book species now under protection. We don't work with this species ourselves for ecological reasons, but it symbolises our love for unique, rare materials, our philosophy of caring for nature, and our commitment to exceptional quality.

Our production facility is in Holland, in the small town of Panningen, not far from Düsseldorf. We regularly invite designers to visit our factory so they can see the entire process of creating our flooring. It's there that our unique products are born, including the famous twelve-metre boards that became possible thanks to that special project for which we built a dedicated factory.

The philosophy of Ebony and Co is based on several key principles. First, there's sustainability — we carefully consider the origin of every tree trunk. We aim to inspire and be a beacon for all manufacturers in our industry. Over the years, we've noticed many trying to copy our solutions, but this doesn't trouble us: by the time competitors manage to replicate our ideas, we've already prepared a new collection. It's like in the world of haute couture, where Zara designers sit in the front row at fashion shows, photographing models to later reproduce them for the mass market.

One of our core values is creating products that serve generations. Like an established fashion house with deep roots in culture and history, our flooring is something passed from generation to generation. Thanks to the exceptional quality and uniqueness of our product, it becomes a family treasure. When purchasing our flooring, you're acquiring not just a design solution for your interior, but something your grandchildren and great-grandchildren will walk upon. We don't offer a limited 10-year guarantee with promises to come and repair the floor in case of problems, we're simply so confident in our product's quality that we know it will serve for decades.

Our philosophy is reflected in our approach to working with wood. We don't deal in narrow boards of fixed width or length. We take trunks from nature and use everything they can give. Trunks aren't square; they're round, so our boards vary in width. Trees differ in height, so the boards end up varying in length. This is the essence of our brand — working with nature, not against it, using its richness and uniqueness rather than trying to force it into standard frames.

Among our unique materials, "bog oak" holds a special place: wood that has lain in a bog for thousands of years. It hasn't petrified but has acquired special properties and a colour like black caviar. We conduct carbon analysis confirming the age of each trunk from 3,000 to 5,000 years. Many clients double-check these data and are amazed to confirm their authenticity. This material is especially valued for studies and other prestigious rooms.

Another interesting material in our collection is oak treated with metals. We can create unique finishing coatings using real nickel. We applied this approach in a project for a penthouse in a Monaco tower, created by the famous French firm Cabinet Pinto. At the time, it was the world's most expensive property, worth about half a billion euros including renovations. For one of the floors, we implemented a special project — veneer petals with silver.

We also had a client in Russia involved in gold mining. Learning of our capabilities with metals, he immediately declared: "That's impressive, but I work with something else and I want gold." The result was a room in his house with flooring incorporating white gold. Our craftsmen at the factory developed a special finish allowing gold to be integrated into the coating.

Our collection now includes more than 400 variations of finishes. We occasionally remove certain finishes from the collection, but the technology doesn't disappear — we might return to it later or modify it for new collections. We constantly develop and improve our technologies, but we do this not for the sake of novelty itself, but to create truly valuable and durable products.

Technological innovations for us aren't just marketing ploys but opportunities to make our product even better and more functional. For example, we incorporate fitboxes, devices the size of an iPhone, integrated directly into the thickness of the board. For eight years, these devices record fluctuations in temperature and humidity, allowing climate control under the floor and timely response to any deviations. If something goes wrong, corrections can be made promptly, adjusting air conditioners, adding humidifiers, or even, as practice shows, changing the property manager.

We also use advanced equipment for creating complex patterns and inlays. We have milling machines with artificial intelligence that allow one wood to be inserted into another with a specific pattern across large spaces. You set the pattern according to a template, and the machine monitors the direction and manages the process itself. Although for many tasks we prefer handwork, in some cases such technologies are indispensable.

However, our main innovation isn't technology but our approach to working with clients. We don't simply sell a product; we create long-term relationships based on trust. For clients of our calibre, who have little time and dislike dealing with numerous contractors, such an approach is particularly valuable. We aim for clients to return to us again and again, so we're always ready to visit, consult, and resolve any issues related to the floor. After installation, we provide the client with special chemicals for maintenance and detailed recommendations.

Entering the Dubai market has been an interesting new challenge for us. We long contemplated which new region to invest our time and resources in. Our colleague Nikolai had doubts about whether it was worth doing, as there are other promising markets. We even consulted ChatGPT about which places on earth are currently most promising in terms of investment, construction and design. The artificial intelligence suggested five locations, including California (despite recent fires there), Singapore, an area near London… but ultimately returned to Dubai as one of the most promising places.

Dubai has indeed become a land of opportunity. We began by searching for a suitable location for our studio. We always pay special attention to location: our London studio is on Savile Row, our Paris one on the Champs-Élysées, Amsterdam on the main canal, Moscow on Borovitskaya Square overlooking the Kremlin. In Dubai, we settled on the Citywalk district, cosy, low-rise, with a European spirit. This place reflects the values of the new Dubai, where there are different districts, each with its own character.

In recent years, Dubai has transformed dramatically. This has been influenced by many external factors, including the arrival of increasing numbers of interesting people. The city's infrastructure has significantly improved. Like any growing metropolis, Dubai has had its development stages: first roads were built, basic housing, addressing primary needs. Someone aptly noted that previously Dubai was expensive, exclusive, but not necessarily of high quality. Such was the tendency during the period of active urban development.
Today, Dubai is moving in a different direction. There's no longer a need to build another skyscraper simply for the sake of height. Now the city seeks to attract genuine brands and unique stories, paying more attention to quality. This became particularly noticeable with the arrival of a wave of compatriots from Russia, who immediately noted certain deficiencies in finishing. They refused to live in premises with cheap porcelain stoneware tiles sized 30x30 or 60x60 centimetres. At home, even in their guest rooms, they never had such materials. And other clients, observing them, also began raising their quality requirements.

Currently, people are actively relocating to Dubai from Western countries where tax legislation is tightening. For example, from London, an influx of about 100,000 families is expected by autumn. When people bought property in Dubai as an investment, not planning to live there, they weren't as concerned about the quality of finishing. But when they themselves relocate and begin living in these houses and flats, they understand they need a certain level of comfort. That's why more companies are appearing in the market, including us, providing this level.

In Dubai, a culture of using stone and tile in finishing has historically developed. But with changing technologies and the widespread use of air conditioning, prerequisites are being created for wider application of wooden floors. Moreover, walking barefoot on wood is much more pleasant than on a stone floor which, due to constantly operating air conditioners, always remains cold. As one client colourfully expressed it: "I woke up in the morning, wanted to get up just for a minute, and as soon as I walked on the icy floor, I realised the day had already begun."

Even the older generation is becoming more receptive to changes. They follow fashion and trends, happily switch to new cars and just as willingly accept new materials in their homes. They say: "Okay, let's build a new house, let's use new materials that weren't here before."

Our target audience is primarily architects and designers with whom we work on private projects. We focus on creating a "dream home", a person's main home, be it a villa, apartment or penthouse. It's important for us to communicate directly with clients, understand their preferences, give them the opportunity to touch and feel our samples.

We don't offer a warehouse programme — all our floors are made to order. Usually, the process takes three to six months. But since people rarely learn about the need to change a floor a week before work begins, they almost always have these 3-6 months that we require for production and delivery of material.

Special attention should be paid to the delivery process of our product. Being a full-cycle company, we control the entire journey from tree felling in the forest to preparing raw materials at the factory, production and delivery to the site. We deliver our boards like elite furniture in large wooden crates similar to those used for transporting grand pianos. In each crate, boards are arranged in a specific order. These aren't standard parquet packages but full protection for valuable material throughout its journey to the customer.

When the boards arrive at the site, our specialists begin installation. And here we encounter another peculiarity of working in Dubai. Builders here often want to accelerate the process, asking us to start work earlier than planned: "Hurry up, all of you come at once, we're starting to paint the wall here, since we've painted the right one, start gluing your boards here now." Our offices around the world face similar requests, but in Dubai, this takes on a new scale.

We always insist on the proper sequence of works. We should arrive on site when all construction work has finished, all wet work is complete, stone is laid, all height marks are determined, convectors installed. When we leave the site, everything should already be resolved, and no one else walks on the floor in work boots.
We work not only with private clients but also with developers. One well-known developer in Moscow told us that previously he completely delegated interior solutions to builders. He selected the land plot, approved the budget and construction schedule, but didn't delve into finishing details. However, over time, he realised that the materials with which his projects were implemented disappointed end clients. Then he changed his approach: "I understood that what concerns stone, large slabs, wooden flooring, kitchens, doors, plumbing — these are things I choose myself. Let the builders buy plasterboard, paint and everything else. I reserve these five things for myself, because they form a foundation. I develop for myself, but as if for people."
We work with developers who care about the quality of their projects. As our Dutch colleague says, we add investment value to a project. The first thing a person sees when entering a room is the floor. As one designer said: "The floor is the largest colour spot in an apartment." Dark floor, light walls or light floor, dark walls — this is the basis of all design.

Of course, real estate in prestigious areas is always more expensive, but there should be other confirmations that an object has special value. And here materials play a key role: quality wooden flooring, natural stone, premium plumbing. All this creates that added value which a discerning buyer is willing to pay for.
Working in Dubai, we encountered an interesting question: how to care for wooden flooring in the local climate? Many clients ask what to do if water gets on the floor or if there are heel marks. Our recommendation is to choose a finish like a bottle of good red wine: it should only get better with time. The more it's walked on, the more characterful and alive it becomes.

Our luxurious product, our wide seamless boards age beautifully. Of course, one can fight against heel marks, but one can also accept them as part of your home's history. As Bastiaan says when he visits our Moscow studio where we have a bar: "Lovely little dents, don't do anything with them. They're reminders of those wonderful years when there were many high heels."

Regarding care for flooring in Dubai conditions, the situation is, surprisingly, more stable than one might expect. Air conditioners work year-round, maintaining the same temperature and humidity, creating ideal conditions for wood. The only problem is cold stone flooring, which is unpleasant to walk on barefoot. Wooden flooring in this sense is much more comfortable.

Over the years, we've had situations where we declined projects that didn't align with our philosophy. For example, at an exhibition in Dubai, we were approached by a royal family from a neighbouring region. They wanted us to make decorative panels with ornaments — very intricate, in an Eastern style. From a financial and image perspective, it would have been a profitable project. But we decided not to agree because it didn't correspond to our profile and philosophy.

We believe that great companies, even in the most tempting cases, remain faithful to their product and concept. They don't just respond to demand brought by the market but create it. This is exactly what we're doing in Dubai, gradually forming demand for quality wooden floors through our philosophy and high standards.

Our philosophy can be expressed by the phrase "quiet luxury." This concept perfectly reflects the essence of our approach. Quiet luxury isn't about quantity but about impeccable quality. It's when you surround yourself with natural materials and create genuine, natural luxury. As Loro Piana said: "Luxury is quality without compromise. It's not price, but the innate value of something." This value cannot be stolen or lost because it's embedded in the very nature of the material.

Quiet luxury manifests in a restrained but exquisite interior: wide, long boards of natural oak, an expensive painting on the wall, a sofa of rare Italian leather. Nothing superfluous, only the very best. As Churchill said: "I don't need much, just give me the very best."

This is precisely what we strive to convey to our clients. We understand that in regions where glitz, gold and pomposity have traditionally been valued, promoting the concept of quiet luxury isn't simple. But we see how gradually people's tastes and preferences change, how they begin to value naturalness, authenticity and quality without ostentatious elements.

Our business is a story not only about wood but also about people, about generational continuity, about friendship lasting decades. With Mark and Bastiaan, our friendship spans decades already, and our children have grown up together. Nikolai already represents the second generation in the company, Bastiaan has a daughter Christina, others also have children.

When another upheaval occurs in the world and we're asked about the future of our brand, our product, our project, we remember how much we've already been through — 1998 and numerous other events. But everything comes and goes, while our friendship, on which our project is built, remains timeless, beyond the events that accompany our lives. And our dream will undoubtedly survive much more.

We often speak about wooden flooring as a product that serves generations. The bare feet of your grandchildren and great-grandchildren will walk on the same wood that you walked on. This creates a special connection between generations, a sense of continuity and stability in a rapidly changing world.

Perhaps this is why we're so passionate about our work. We create not just flooring but part of families' histories, part of their homes and their lives. And for us, there's no greater reward than seeing how our floor becomes an integral part of our clients' dream home.

At the foundation of everything we do lies that very intrinsic value we spoke of at the beginning. Like a piece of gold that needs no logo to be valuable, our floors possess true, genuine value that speaks for itself. This value lies in the material itself, in the craftsmanship of its processing, in the thoughtfulness of every detail, and in the love with which we approach our work.

And it is precisely this value we bring to the Dubai market — a region that is rapidly developing and changing, increasingly focusing on quality and authenticity. We are confident that our philosophy will find fertile ground here, and more and more people will choose the genuine beauty of natural wood.