Mark Manhart complained when his father forced him to repair items around the house while his seven brothers and sisters watched cartoons on Saturday mornings. Then the oldest son realized this natural gift of utilizing his hands could build his future. After 40 years of constructing, designing, and renovating, the owner of Manhart Designs retains that childhood wonder of crafting innovative pieces such as live edge walnut islands.
The Dundee resident earned an architectural drafting and drawing degree at Southeast Community College in Milford, Nebraska. In the early 1980s, the recent graduate landed an opportunity to work for an architect who puffed Pall Malls. Manhart arrived home each night for two years smelling smoky and realizing the desk jockey life didn’t suit him. After the untimely death of the architect, Manhart united with Marco Lade of Artisan Woods to build kitchens for seven years.
In the 1990s, Manhart decided at a young age to see the world and “just bum around” for a while. These “crazy trips” took him to Indonesian jungles, Australian beaches, and Brazilian rainforests. Manhart utilized his skills to construct a steel helicopter hangar in New Guinea, and he built houses for poverty-stricken families while instructing American high school missionary groups in Mexico.
“It was a part of my life that was rewarding, but not reality. At some point, you have to come back to reality,” Manhart said.
He worked at Quality Cabinets & Fixture in San Diego for eight years as a bench man, taking parts from the machine operator and building the furniture for big-time retail stores like Disney. In 1998, Manhart struck out as a business owner in Denver, Colorado, and turned Manhart Designs into an LLC by 2003. Six years later, Nebraska called him home. Manhart, though, discovered a “private little getaway” with a few acres for a wood shop in Council Bluffs.
“I don’t really get to do the cool things I want. I would love to sit around my wood shop and design art, but I have to be out hitting the streets,” Manhart, 61, explained.
He hustles, making a living designing decks, kitchens, and bathrooms. He makes walnut live edge bar tops and islands, cedar pergolas, and cabinets. Manhart’s craft allows him to create modern doors that appear hundreds of years old to conform to the aesthetic, especially in areas like Dundee.
Collette Youngblood, a busy mom with five children and five dogs, heard about Manhart’s skills from his brother Pete. After Manhart fixed her rickety basement stairs, Youngblood hired him for a custom-made dark cherry door with three windows at the top that fit the antique aesthetic. In addition, she needed a complete renovation of her master bathroom, a difficult job after discovering duct-taped wiring and a decaying sub-floor. Gray marble and a hanging chandelier revitalized the space after getting everything up to code. An ebony wrought iron spiraled railing with orbs showcases local artist Mary Ensz’s painted flower steps leading up to the second story.
“He puts his heart and soul into everything. He is like part of the family. I call him for everything,” Youngblood said.
Manhart says he depends on solid contractors but also brings his trusty co-worker, his border collie Lily Pad, on some sites. Mainly, he relies on word of mouth, advice his dentist father instilled in him at an early age. Quality woodwork speaks for itself. The contractor has not lost that nostalgic pleasure of fixing up a home, but hopes to spend more time in the wood shop.
“If I could, I would work in my shop every day building fancy furniture. When I retire, that’s what I’ll be doing,” Manhart said.
For information on Manhart Designs, visit facebook.com/manhartdesignsllc/.
This article originally appeared in the October 2024 issue of Omaha Home Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
