Ebwa, zen nature

Mixing aesthetics with ecology, is it possible? In 2015, Marjorie Imbeault had this desire to decorate and create beauty. She also had the desire to respect her environmental values, to reuse and recycle: “my goal is to reduce my ecological footprint by reusing and recovering,” she explains proudly.

She therefore launched her company, Ebwa , which today presents her nature zen collection.

An eco-responsible product

“All my wood comes from dead trees, recycled wood, old pallets. My father, who is in construction, gives me a lot of materials,” says Marjorie. Even for hardware, the young entrepreneur uses recycled parts as much as possible (like handles). Only the screws and fasteners are new materials.

She also tries to use products that are not harmful to the environment. For example, the lichen on her Chloé piece is not held together by glue, as is usually the case: “I was looking for another solution. So I kept the nails from the wooden pallets to secure it.”

Even her delivery packaging is recycled thanks to her husband who has a lot of products delivered as part of his job. She therefore reuses boxes, kraft paper, protective plastic, etc. "It's not wow, but it generates little waste," she says smiling.

For the finish, she also uses non-toxic products. Recently, she discovered La Fusion paint, which is VOC-free. To top it off, it's a Canadian product: “I try as much as possible to equip myself with Canadian or Quebec products,” she explains. She quickly adopted the product, which is odorless and requires fewer coats than the products she used before. Also, the already glossy finish saves the coat of varnish. Saving time and money.

Create to live

Initially, Marjorie told me that it was the upgrading of furniture that made her want to work in this field. And recovery, still little known in Quebec, is a great way to save. Because being recycled, these pieces of furniture cost less than in stores (it was a customer who pointed it out to him!), with that little extra that revaluation allows!

In her workshop, located in the basement of her house, we discover some furniture that she has retyped. And when you go upstairs, you see a natural Zen decoration. The majority of her furniture has been upgraded or created by her, from her dining table, the first piece of furniture to have given her the bite, to her spice rack.

Today, what started out as just a few DIY projects is now her livelihood.

The Zen nature collection

Each product in the collection effectively inspires nature and zen. Two materials stand out: wood and lichen.

Its frames are painted as and when required by customers. The customer can therefore choose the pattern and the color of the wood he prefers. The patterns were created by Marjorie, then cut out to create reusable stencils.

Her pieces have names: Chloé, or even Léo, her frame of lichen, can take up to an hour to sew the lichen. Vivianne, the little lichen pots, were constructed from leftovers from her other decorations. Florence only comes in five pieces. "I found it so beautiful (the trunk) that I didn't want to wait". His coat racks are made of maple wood: “it's my favorite product, I have an industrial quantity! she laughs.

Finally, she added plant holders to her collection. For its plant holders, it uses an ecological fiber, sisal . Derived from agave, the growth of this fiber is eco-responsible: it requires little water, when it is cut it is entirely used (agave syrup, moulded, etc.), it is biodegradable and very resistant.

"I want to encourage people to put green in their homes," says Marjorie.

Get out of your comfort zone

Marjorie is a designer. So she went to seek the help of a marketing coordinator to help her transform her image and take her business to another level. In her workshop, her decoration collection is displayed, but Marjorie is already thinking about future collections that will offer service products.

She also wants to push towards the American market, a public that already seems interested in her products. It mainly targets the online market since the profit margins are higher there. Indeed, in stores, the deposit is often high, which eats into its profit. To overcome this lack, she must then manage her work well in order to minimize her manufacturing time, without reducing the quality. Additionally, Marjorie senses that consumers are increasingly moving towards online sales.

She still allows herself a first collaboration with the Gypsy Boheme boutique which will present unique creations this fall. This partnership will allow her to unleash her creativity since with her online collections, she is obliged to create only a few models that she then reproduces on demand.

In the end, the young designer thinks that it is “the smallest gestures that will help reduce our ecological footprint”.

For more information on this green company, visit the member page !

Reviewed by Louise