Designer bookcase for a modern living room - Mascheroni

An open double-sided shelf designed as a dual-purpose partition and a bookcase. It was developed as an interior decoration element suitable for both homes and unconventional offices. Material and components: shelves made from solid slats of walnut, ebony, and other wood essences — both sides are finished with natural leather. The partitions are made of slightly aged bronze. For lengths up to 410 cm, there are fifteen supporting bronze structures divided into three rows; for lengths up to 300 cm, bronze structures are arranged in ten units across two rows. Each handcrafted Italian Mascheroni product bears 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 custom pieces and complete sets of exclusive furniture for demanding clients seeking top-tier products, initially in Europe and later worldwide. Today, Mascheroni operates in over eighty countries.

MASCHERONI is now 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 elements of each product are handcrafted using state-of-the-art machinery. However, everything is then assembled entirely by hand, and it is no coincidence that one of the brand’s main goals is to maintain continuity through high-level training of employees and ongoing skill development. Consequently, each senior master craftsman is paired with a junior artisan to complete their specialization and become a master as well.

Seeking perfection and continuous innovation are fundamental principles that characterize Mascheroni products, making the company recognized worldwide.

Deep experience and thorough knowledge of the materials used, manufacturing methods, and problem-solving solutions inherent to the products, combined with ongoing investments in research and development, ensure that the products are durable and retain their value over time. Quality inspections are meticulously carried out throughout the entire production cycle, and materials are rigorously tested to ensure quality compliance at each stage. The final product undergoes thorough testing to confirm proper functionality and detailed analysis to ensure it meets the aesthetic expectations set in the original design.

What quality of leather does Mascheroni use?

The leathers typically used in our sector are about 1.1 to 1.2 mm thick, as they are more affordable 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 with leather of this thickness. The company also offers various categories of leather, all significantly thicker and more challenging to work with, but providing greater durability for the finished product. What makes their leather so difficult to process, besides being two or even three times thicker than standard leathers, are the physical properties of the leather itself: for example, “vegetable-tanned leather” is particularly difficult to bend.

Natural leathers by Mascheroni

These leathers are tanned to preserve all the natural features and the perfection of the leather itself, including animal life marks such as small insect bites, wrinkles, and various grain patterns. All these signs indicate that the product is truly natural and should therefore be regarded as quality features. Mascheroni's goal is to ensure the best possible cutting of the leather so that these “marks” do not appear on visible parts of the products. European cattle leathers, mainly, with a thickness ranging from 1.4 to 1.5 mm, are chrome-tanned, aniline-dyed in a drum, with a natural, full grain. They have a soft, warm, and exceptionally beautiful appearance. European cattle leathers, mainly, with a thickness from 1.6 to 1.8 mm, chrome-tanned, aniline-dyed in a drum, with a full grain. They feature a semi-transparent, nearly smooth surface with aniline effect, “hard” and sturdy.

PELLE 3M / A

European cattle leathers, 2.2 mm thick, chrome-tanned, aniline-dyed in a drum, with a natural, full grain. Feels like silk. A wonderful and delicate material of unparalleled beauty. Small imperfections guarantee that the leathers are natural.

PELLE 3M

European cattle leathers, 3–4 mm thick, chrome-tanned, aniline-dyed in a drum, with a natural, full grain. Nearly 4 mm thickness ensures long-lasting durability. The surface displays remarkable natural animal life marks. Full-grain. Strong and warm.

VEGETABLE-TANNED LEATHER

European cattle leathers, 2.2 mm thick, vegetable-tanned, full grain. Semi-transparent, smooth surface, strong and warm. An excellent material, incredibly beautiful. Available only as half-leather. 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. It relies on natural tannins extracted from trees, using modern technology and a long processing time. Truly, the transformation of raw hide into leather—unique and one-of-a-kind in the world—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 naturalness of the product.

Over the years, tannin colors give the leather warm shades that tend to stand out on the surface of each element during use. Therefore, products become unique, personal, and one-of-a-kind for each user. The product tends to change depending on how it is used, thus revealing its best side. Choosing a product made from this leather means owning an exclusive and one-of-a-kind item.

The use of tannins results in products of extremely high quality: soft and smooth leathers, marked by full and glossy dyes, finished in all possible ways, suitable for any application. These products also boast impressive mechanical durability, are fully sustainable, and even resistant to water and temperature—parameters often considered important limitations for natural products.

The result is a product that excels in every aspect, combining excellent technical properties with the craftsmanship of materials from bygone eras, featuring warm colors and unique design. 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 wood species 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 of solid wood. In contrast, 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.

Proof that the Mascheroni product stands out for its quality and materials used is also reflected in the weight of the finished product. On average, the finished product weighs 50% more than a standard product. Knowledge of wood prompted the company to thoroughly explore various possibilities to create new and increasingly exclusive collections. The final product is the result of artisans' wisdom and innovation.

This signifies a desire and meticulousness to meet the demands of Mascheroni’s very discerning clients—people who want special, tailor-made products with a very high level of craftsmanship. This is undoubtedly a very challenging field, but one that allows the company to express its potential and ultimately brings great satisfaction.

Italian art and cultural heritage have always been at the heart of the brand’s pride and identity. Throughout its history, Mascheroni has financed the restoration of some of Canova’s artworks, organized art awards, supported historic sites such as Libreria Bocca (the oldest bookstore in Italy), and continuously funds important associations like FAI (Italian National Trust), which protects, restores, and opens historic places and buildings across Italy to the public.

Manufacturer information