Every brand has a beginning — ours started with a shelf.

At the time, desk shelves weren’t a familiar part of the workspace in Korea.

If they existed at all, they were usually treated as low-cost, purely practical add-ons — not objects of design, and certainly not something that felt premium or intentional.
People had desks, chairs, and storage — but almost nothing created to shape the mood and presence of the desk itself.

When we designed our desk shelf, we weren’t just looking at furniture. We were looking at the space where people spend hours of their lives — thinking, creating, working, dreaming.

And we kept asking ourselves:
What if the desk could feel warmer? What if the space in front of you could feel more intentional?

That question became our very first product.

 

A Niche Within a Niche

Launching a “desk shelf” back then felt almost unreasonable.
It wasn’t a mainstream product. It wasn’t something people knew they needed.
And the market we were stepping into — what we now call the “desk setup culture” — was still unfamiliar to most, in Korea.

It could have easily been dismissed as too specific, too niche, too small.
But we believed something different.

We believed that the smallest changes in a workspace can shift how a day feels.

That the objects closest to us quietly shape our mood, focus, and rhythm.
So we decided to try.

 

The Leap: Wadiz Crowdfunding

Our first desk shelf debuted through a crowdfunding campaign.

We didn’t know what to expect. All we had was an idea, a design, and the hope that some people out there felt the same way about their workspace as we did.

What happened next changed everything. The project reached 10,446% of its funding goal.

 

 

But beyond the number, it revealed something more important — people cared deeply about the spaces they work in.

Not only were they looking for ways to improve productivity, they were also drawn to the idea of creating a space that felt warmer, more personal, and more meaningful.

And that was all we needed to continue on our journey.

 

More Than a Product

Looking back, that first desk shelf wasn’t simply an item we made.

It was the starting point of a new way of thinking about workspace — not just as a place for productivity, but as a space you can truly settle into.

That single shelf became the first step toward what Maywood would grow to become — a home office brand devoted to creating everyday tools, furniture, and ultimately, environments designed with intention.

Everything we’ve built since — every shelf, accessory, and piece of workspace furniture — traces back to that moment.

A small wooden shelf.
A big leap of faith.
And the people who believed in our product and its potential.