A timeless, modern bench for unique interiors – Mascheroni

Circe is a bench from the Mascheroni New Collection 2019. The outer edge is adorned with beautiful bold hand-stitched contrasting seams that emphasize the elegant shape of the design. It stands slightly elevated from the floor, delicately balanced on noble brass legs. Each handcrafted Italian product by Mascheroni is marked with a plaque engraved with the brand name “Mascheroni srl Made in Italy,” confirming its authenticity.

Founded approximately 40 years ago in Cabiate, a town near Milan, in the heart of the Brianza manufacturing district where its headquarters are located, MASCHERONI has continually evolved. The company began designing and producing special products and complete sets of luxury furniture for discerning clients seeking top-tier items, initially in Europe and later worldwide. Today, Mascheroni operates in over eighty countries.

MASCHERONI is one of the few companies that oversee and control the entire production cycle, ensuring excellent quality at every stage—from raw material selection, through manufacturing, to custom services. The process relies heavily on teamwork, craftsmanship skills, and the quality of individual artisans. Most components of each product are handcrafted using state-of-the-art machinery. However, everything is then assembled entirely by hand, and one of the brand’s main goals is to maintain continuity through high-level employee training and ongoing skill development. Therefore, each senior craftsman is paired with a junior artisan to complete their specialization and become a master as well.

Striving for excellence and continuous innovation are fundamental principles of Mascheroni products, making the brand recognized worldwide. Extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of materials, manufacturing methods, and problem-solving solutions—along with ongoing investments in research and development—ensure that products are durable and retain their value over time. Quality controls are meticulously conducted throughout the entire production cycle, and materials are thoroughly examined to guarantee quality and functionality at each stage. The finished product undergoes rigorous testing to ensure proper operation and detailed analysis to confirm it meets the aesthetic standards of the original design.

What quality of leather does the Mascheroni brand use?

The leathers typically used in our sector are about 1.1 to 1.2 mm thick, as they are cheaper and easier to process. These more common leathers are not part of Mascheroni’s sample range. The thinnest leathers the brand works with are around 1.4 mm, which is the baseline. All prices listed are for products made from leather of this thickness. The company also offers various categories of leather, all significantly thicker and more difficult to process, but providing greater durability for the final product. What makes their leather so challenging to work with, besides being two or even three times thicker than standard leathers, are the physical characteristics of the leather itself: for example, “vegetable-tanned leather” is particularly difficult to bend.

NATURAL LEATHER of Mascheroni

These leathers are tanned to preserve all their natural features and the inherent beauty of the hide, including signs of animal life such as small insect bites, wrinkles, and varied grain. These marks attest to the product’s natural origin and should be regarded as quality features. Mascheroni’s task is to ensure the best possible cutting of the leather so that these “marks” do not appear on visible parts of the products. Bovine leathers, mainly European, with a thickness of 1.4 to 1.5 mm, are chrome-tanned, aniline-dyed in drums, with a natural, full grain. They have a soft, warm, and exceptionally beautiful appearance. European bovine leathers, 1.6 to 1.8 mm thick, are chrome-tanned, aniline-dyed in drums, with full grain. They feature a semi-transparent, nearly smooth surface with an aniline effect, and are “hard” and sturdy.

PELLE 3M / A

PELLE 3M

Full-grain European cowhides, 3 - 4 mm thick, tanned with chrome salts, aniline-dyed in drum, natural grain, full. Nearly 4mm thick ensures long-lasting durability. The surface features extraordinary natural traces of the animal’s life. Full-grain. Strong and warm.

Vegetable-tanned leather

Full-grain European cowhides, 2.2 mm thick, vegetable-tanned, full. Semi-transparent smooth surface, strong and warm. An excellent material, incredibly beautiful. Available only as halves. Vegetable tanning uses an old recipe that combines traditional processes with all currently available technologies. This process is carried out by tanners who pass their craft from generation to generation with care and passion, transforming raw hides into leather without harming the environment in any way. The process relies on natural tannins extracted from trees, utilizing new technology and a long processing time. Indeed, transforming raw hide into leather that is unique and one-of-a-kind takes nearly 40 days. Vegetable-tanned leathers bear the marks of our lives. They age but do not rot. It is these changes and personal use over time that attest to the product’s naturalness.

Over time, the tannin colors give the leather warm shades, which tend to become more pronounced on the surface of each element during use. Therefore, the products become unique, personal, and one-of-a-kind for each user. The product tends to evolve depending on how it is used, revealing its best side. Choosing a product made from this leather means owning a prestigious, one-of-a-kind item.

Using tannins results in products of extremely high quality: soft and smooth leathers, marked by full and shiny dyes, finished in all possible ways, suitable for any application. These products also boast impressive mechanical wear resistance, are fully sustainable, and have good resistance to water and temperature—parameters often considered limitations for natural products.

The result is a product that excels in every aspect, combining excellent technical properties with a heritage-inspired design, warm colors, and a unique aesthetic. It is a product that will last and improve over time, and can be safely disposed of at the end of its lifecycle.

Wood

The Mascheroni wood collection includes over 10 different types of wood from the “Mascheroni Wood Color System” catalog. The company strives to select only the best parts of the wood. The main structures of sofas and armchairs are mostly made from solid wood. In furniture production, solid wood is used only partially. This varies depending on the product, shape, and the desired aesthetic effect, which may require the use of solid wood, plywood, shaped plywood, wooden slats, roots, and other enhanced materials.

Evidence of Mascheroni’s quality and material selection is also reflected in the weight of the finished product. On average, the final product weighs 50% more than a standard product. Knowledge of wood has led the company to explore diverse possibilities for creating new and increasingly exclusive collections. The final product is the result of the craftsmanship and innovation of skilled artisans.

This reflects a desire and meticulous effort to meet the demanding requirements of Mascheroni’s clients—people seeking custom-made, high-quality handcrafted products. It is undoubtedly a challenging field, but one that allows the company to showcase its potential and brings great satisfaction.