"I make furniture,” Peyton Maas of Forged Woodworks explained when asked what he does—it’s quite a simplification of his artistic prowess and process, but it does sum it up nicely. And make furniture he does, everything custom, from credenzas to shuffleboard tables, desks to coffee bars. Maas has been creating for as long as he can remember, starting with tinkering in the garage with his dad as a child, an activity they could share together. Around age 12 or so, this hobby morphed into designing and building his own pieces solo.
Maas originally hails from Omaha. In high school, he came up with the name Forged Woodworks. Then, at age 18, he started his business as the sole proprietor. "I don't even think I'd graduated high school when I moved into my first shop, a shared space in South Omaha," Maas said. "I spent the week between school ending and graduation moving into the shop.”
Roughly two years into the endeavor, the maker was ready for his own spot and moved the business to Springfield for about four years. "I loved having my own space, but I was missing Omaha…I live in Omaha and felt very connected to Omaha," he explained. Touring the city for his new place, Maas focused on the New North Makerhood area of downtown, with developments like Millwork Commons and Hot Shops Art Center. He stumbled across the building he's currently in (1715 Cuming Street), which ended up being the perfect fit. Forged Woodworks now has a lovely home. At roughly 2,700 square feet, with a showroom up front and workspace in the back, there's plenty of room for Maas and his business to grow.
As for growth, it's been an exciting path to success in the furniture creation business. It began with word of mouth; many of Maas' first customers were family and friends and friends of family. "Then Instagram helped because it was clients with no connection…I remember thinking how cool it was that people I didn't know wanted my furniture," Maas said. Nowadays, most business comes from social media or his website and the occasional pop-up.
Instagram has also led to repeat clients, like Tara Miller of The Heartland Interior Design. The Omaha-based firm embraces a few fundamental business tenets, one of which is to celebrate and uplift Nebraska makers. "I spend a lot of time researching because I prefer to source locally over mass-produced," Miller explained. "Instagram is my go-to resource for finding local artisans and craftsmen."
“We are artists,” said Maas. “I think it’s important to call ourselves that. Most people who do this kind of stuff, we go the extra mile to make sure the design is right.”
His artistic process is now fairly consistent. Maas invites possible customers to tour his workshop and showroom, which are open by appointment only. He has samples there to showcase past work. Then, the Forged Woodworks pro likes to discuss the staying power of furniture, wood types, design notes, and sketches to show what the end product will look like. “I want people to know exactly what they’re getting,” he explained. Wood is his primary medium, though Maas will coordinate with other local makers if a client wants custom metal legs on a dining room table. “Right now, white oak is becoming really popular, [and] I do a lot with walnut. I don’t think it will ever go out of style because it’s such a beautiful wood,” he said. Maas loves ash too, calling it “an easy to work with, cool-looking wood.” He finds inspiration in the small things: the way a building is shaped, how something is painted, and even current trends.
He has recently started to name his pieces, too, including a favorite project. “I started with two separate coffee tables that are ellipse/oval-shaped,” he said. One is charred black with rustic hand-carved texture, named “Icarus” in a nod to the Greek myth. “Because I’m a huge nerd,” Maas joked. The other piece is a mid-century modern white oak table with the moniker of “Daedalus,” the inventor and architect of the labyrinth that housed the mytholigical Minotaur as well as the father of Icarus.
Customers don’t have to start with a pair of bespoke tables. For a more approachable price point, Forged Woodworks usually stocks items like record wall mounts, colorful dry vases, and charcuterie boards.
For more information, visit forgedwoodworks.com.
This article originally appeared in the June 2024 issue of Omaha Home Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
