"Reclaimed hardwood," muses Mehran Khayeri, the founder and president of Khayeri Flooring, who is part philosopher, artist, craftsman, environmentalist and historian. "Reclaimed hardwood and other found objects, anything old and weathered but still strong that can be brought into the home and repurposed into something beautiful and practical."

This is just one of the many things that inspire Mehran in his quest to travel all over the globe and bring the best of the world to his customers' floors. It's no small surprise that his motto is:

Worship the ground
you walk on.

Asking him if there's one element of his process that inspires him above all others seems like a silly question. He is extremely passionate about every step of the journey, from discovering 300-year-old French white oak planks in a barn in Brittany, France, to the moment that the finished product is installed in the home of one of his customers.

"Trial and error," he answers after a thoughtful pause. "It's the process of creating the different colours of stains and seeing how they will react with the wood. It takes time to get it right. We're working with wood from oak trees that were grown in the Bordeaux and Burgundy regions of east & central France. Wood that, for the most part, was then transported and used in the north of France, Belgium and even Holland. These are planks that were used in everything from public buildings private homes, barns, even railway lines. Naturally, they exist in all different states. First, we create the colours—and that takes time. For our latest line, we began with 200 potential colours and ended up with five."

Why is it such an intensive process? "Because," Mehran says. "There's a lot of individual character in this wood. Just like people, no two are identical. Similar, yes, but not exactly the same. As well, quality craftsmanship takes time. We work with artisans and craftsmen who work a lot by hand. We use all-natural, 100% biodegradable oils. We are always seeking to create beautiful objects; however, at the same time, what we build has to be durable. There's no point in creating beauty if it doesn't work for people. It has to last a lifetime." Mehran means that quite literally. His floors come with a lifetime warranty.

What does the future hold for Khayeri? "Well," he says, "we've been spending the last year and a half in research and development, designing a maintenance-free oil stain. Up until now, our oil stains would need to be reapplied every few years, not unlike the way you would with a deck. However, we've perfected a way of blending our oils with lacquer to create a hybrid. The result is that we apply it once and it lasts a lifetime."

Are there any favourite designers and architects that have inspired him over his career? "Yes," he says. "But I don't know their names. They're not famous celebrities or anything like that. They are the anonymous craftspeople who worked with nature hundreds of years ago and created beautiful works that still stand today. You can travel to Versailles and see the incredible stone and woodwork on display, all of it is a work of art. These were people who understood and respected the environment. And that's what we do, with every floor we design and build. That's our passion."

It brings new meaning to worship the ground you walk on.