man behind the craft
Mariusz Karnas
I started the H&M Flooring Design company with my father in 1999. We built standard floors, and I thought I was doing a good job. Then I was introduced to National Wood Flooring Association and with that, with the education and exposure to other's work, my eyes opened to the real art of wood flooring and the endless possibilities in design and execution. That's where it all started. That's when my true passion for wood working was born. I dove into design mode through hundreds of sketches and projects to perfect my skills and then implemented them into work. I found my calling.
I signed up for the most prestigious competition in the wood flooring industry. I am proud of the fact that being the youngest competitor, it took me only two years to be nominated to the Floor of the Year and winning second prize and receive an Honorable Mention in Residential. These were significant steps for me to realize that a floor is not just a floor; it can be turned into a form of art, it has a strong impact on the character, an ambience of the room.
When my father was ready to retire and moved back to Poland in 2005, in his place I found my first employee, and four years later there were four of us, people that I trust with their workmanship and dedication. I strongly believe that the size of the company doesn't necessary go with the quality of work it represents, so my agenda is to operate with only a small group of employees that I can really on. It is also very important to me that we do one project at a time so I can have a total supervision of the whole process. This way I can guarantee that my vision is properly executed and that my clients expectations are met to the last detail. Thanks to that, and thanks to the quality of work that we produce, I am able to work with the best architects and designers in Chicagoland and beyond.
