Naturally At Home

Designer Flooring from pioneer millworks

For over thirty years, Pioneer Millworks has been a national leader in manufacturing reclaimed and sustainable wood flooring, paneling, siding, and decking with a focus on utilizing high-quality natural materials and finishes. Founded by Jonathan Orpin, Pioneer Millworks has two mills, one locally here in Farmington, NY, and one in McMinnville, Oregon.

Their sister company, New Energy Works, is a well-known sustainable Design + Build company with a focus on timber frame and high-performance construction. The two companies together are a powerhouse partnership that has crafted several innovative, stunning residential and commercial buildings throughout the region.

As of 2022, the two companies became 100% Employee-Owned as an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan), which, according to Pioneer Millworks General Manager Alan Lamparella, means employees more equitably share in the successes that result from their hard work. It also allows the company to offer their team more competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package, which fosters long-term careers in domestic manufacturing and skilled trades.

Over the past 30+ years, Pioneer Millworks has maintained its strong reputation as a leader in the building materials industry because of their focus on crafting some of the finest environmentally friendly wood products made in the U.S.A.

Most recently, the company partnered with celebrated interior designer David Senise of Spectrum Design Group for their new Natural Expressions Collection, which is a perfect example of the company’s ability to meet high quality standards while remaining committed to their triple bottom line ethos of people, planet, and prosperity. The European style wide plank designer flooring collection is the quintessence of natural beauty and has been extremely well-received in the Finger Lakes region and beyond since its release last fall.

Natural Expressions Collection

Like many beautiful things in life, the Natural Expressions Collection developed organically. The process started a little over a year ago when renowned interior designer David Senise was working on two large residential homes in the Finger Lakes. He approached Pioneer Millworks, whom he had worked with extensively in the past, to explore the best hardwood flooring options available for the projects. “As a designer, I was looking for a unique product, because everything on the market was the standard, typical hardwood flooring in showrooms – they all had the same look and color,” David says.

His vision for the projects was to use a European style wide plank White Oak flooring, so he went to visit Pioneer Millworks’ Farmington mill to explore options. Together, they worked with different stains and finishes, tested them on samples, and selected two unique custom color finishes for David’s projects.

The results were extraordinary, and the team at Pioneer Millworks knew that the marriage of David’s vast interior design skillset with their sustainable White Oak flooring finished with these new colors could be groundbreaking for the design industry.

Inspired by these early results, David soon returned to the Farmington mill and worked closely with the Pioneer Millworks team to develop twelve proprietary finish colors that have come to define the Natural Expressions Collection.

As its name suggests, the Natural Expressions Collection focuses on incorporating elements of nature into the interior design world. The blend of the stunning natural finishes and dynamic wood grains of the collection are designed to inspire scenes of dense forests, flowing wheat fields, and enigmatic thunderstorms rolling in over a landscape. With names like Nantucket Fog, Toasted Wheat, and Warm Umber, each unique color option in the collection takes on a life and personalityof its own.

The collection utilizes an 8” wide plank European style format, which, according to David, allows for the flooring to be the main character in any room. The wider floor planks of White Oak offer a sense of continuity and scale from one room to another, and with more surface area comes a greater diversification of natural wood grain patterns, grounding the space to the surrounding landscape.

Sustainable Choices

Do not be fooled – this flooring collection is much more than just exceptional appearance. Staying true to their roots, the Pioneer Millworks team diligently worked to make sure the Natural Expressions Collection is as sustainable as possible, because to them, sustainability is not only a priority – it is a fundamental part of their ethos.

From an environmental perspective, sustainability at Pioneer Millworks means making as little impact on the environment as possible. The wood for the collection is made with their sustainably harvested Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) Certified Casual White Oak, which ensures overall responsible sourcing and forestry practices. The casual grade of White Oak utilized in the collection is milled from the upper section of the oak tree, which creates a signature character look for the flooring, but also importantly maximizes yield and reduces waste during the production process.

Sustainability also means durability and longevity, which, for the team at Pioneer Millworks, is also essential. When David first approached the team for his projects, he had a particular request: The owners of the house he was designing had a large dog, and they needed a flooring option that would not be easily scratched and worn down. As a result, the Natural Expressions Collection features a plant-based, all-natural UV Cured Hard-Wax oil finish, which is highly durable and can be easily maintained over time.

Additionally, the collection’s oil finish is free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which is always a prime concern for the company, to minimize off-gassing of noxious fumes and maintain healthy indoor air quality. This way, sustainability means creating a healthy work environment for the team and those installing their products, as well as a long-term healthy living environment for the homeowners.

A Collection to Discover

According to Deanna Varble, Creative Director at Pioneer Millworks, the best way to really get a sense and feel of the wood from the Natural Expressions Collection is to see it in person. “It’s hard to represent the finish and its complexity with photos alone,” she explains. “We would love for people from around the region to come in and see the collection in our Farmington showroom, or order a sample online from our website. The colors have nuanced character that changes within the grain of the wood and in different lighting conditions.”

Every detail has been thoughtfully examined and purposefully chosen by David Senise and the Pioneer Millworks team for the Natural Expressions Collection. From the larger width of the boards to twelve innovative designer finish colors, the collection masterfully combines elements inspired by nature to bring thoughtful sophistication and grounded aesthetics from the natural world into commercial and residential spaces.

Made here in the U.S.A., this high-quality designer flooring collection is about more than just delivering a consistent, beautiful product. It’s about helping homeowners’ dreams become reality. In Deanna’s words, the process feels “life-giving,” and the Pioneer Millworks team puts heart and care into every step of the process.