Who We Are
Domiane Forte
Owner, Design Director, Master Craftsman
Over 2 decades as Senior Manager and Design Director for leaders in traditional design of luxury estates and resorts such as Marc Appleton and William Hefner, Domiane Forte made a name for himself as one of the preeminent architectural designers in the United States.
And now he’s bringing that very highest level of design and service to the furniture industry. Not just putting ideas on paper, but now building them to be enjoyed by generations.
Domiane’s love of making beautiful things started at the youngest of ages, learning the craft by working with his father, renowned artist and engraver Giuseppe Forte, who built his family furniture from trees felled on their property in Wyoming, where Domiane grew up hunting, fishing, drawing, and making.
The idea for Forte Woodworks was born in 1996 when Domiane made furniture and cabinetry for local shops to put himself through college. After undergraduate degrees in Liberal Arts and Mathematics, Domiane attended the University of Notre Dame and received his Master of Architecture.
It was at Notre Dame that Domiane studied under, and eventually taught with, master craftsman Robert Brandt, whose sculptures in wood have been shown the world over. It was under Robert’s tutelage that Domiane became a master craftsman himself, incorporating ancient joinery and timeless design to resolve modern furniture needs.
Domiane regularly built pieces of furniture for architectural clients to be used in the houses he designed for them, being able to tie together stylistic elements and period appropriateness, often receiving requests from interior designers to build furniture for their other projects.
Domiane lives in Ventura County, California with his wife Hannah. Together they have 8 beautiful children. Domiane loves children, and volunteers extensively for scouting, church, and youth sports…coaching baseball, football, and umpiring up to 100 games a year…even on ESPN for the regional tournaments of the Little League World Series.
Our Philosophy
Have you ever wished your architect could build?
Or that your builder could design furniture and cabinetry to match the quality of your architect’s vision?
Forte Woodworks excels at both. This combination of theory and practice is what Vitruvius called Fabrica et Rationacinatione. The ability to do and to know.
But it also takes a dedication to provide truly exceptional service to discerning and demanding clients. It takes the ability to communicate with clients and designers on their terms. To understand how they live and experience their built environment. To understand and share their goals for their designs. And this is what sets Forte Woodworks apart. We excel at these things.
Forte Woodworks is dedicated to making the very highest quality furniture possible. This is not Ikea. It’s not Ethan Allen. This is generational furniture. The kind that will last and become an antique handed down to your grandchildren. We do not use plywood. We use responsibly sourced and environmentally sensitive hardwoods from our land. We can even kiln dry and use trees felled from your land for furniture in the home you build on it.
Our Cabinetry is not from a box store. You won’t find cheap partical board in our cabinets and cases. What you will find is dovetail joinery. Solid wood drawers. Solid wood doors. Level surfaces, timeless and environmentally friendly finishes.
And we stand by our work and our word.
