Presentation

MASCHERONI was established about 40 years ago in Cabiate, a town not far from Milan.This is where MASCHERONI has its head offices, in the heart of the manufacturing district of Brianza.In the 80s, the workshop became a company and MASCHERONI became a brand that is internationally recognised for the high quality of its upholstering. The company did not rest on its laurels; it began to design and make special products and full suits of furniture for its demanding customers, people that were looking for luxury products, first in Europe and then in the rest of the world. Mascheroni now works on a permanent basis with more than eighty countries.

MASCHERONI is today one of the few companies that handles and controls the entire production cycle, in so doing ensuring perfect quality at each step of the production process, from the selection of the raw materials to production, right up to custom services.The manufacturing activity is based on teamwork and on the skills and quality of the individual craftsmen.
The pieces of each product are predominantly made by hand and with the use of state-of-the-art machinery. Then, though, everything is completely assembled by hand.It is by no chance that one of the company’s main goals is to ensure continuity by keeping the training level of the company’s staff high and raising it further. As such, each “senior” master craftsman is flanked by a junior craftsman so that the junior can complete his specialization path and become a master craftsman, too.
The search for excellence and constant innovation are the foundation stones that characterize Mascheroni products and are why the company is recognized worldwide.

Experience and the deep knowledge of the materials used, the production methods and all the solutions to those problems that are intrinsic to the products, along with the constant investment in research and development, ensure the products are durable and will keep their value in time.

Quality controls are carefully carried out throughout the entire production cycle and the materials themselves are subject to careful examination to ensure the quality complies with the function at every stage of the manufacturing process. The end product is carefully tested to ensure it works properly and it is analysed in depth to ensure it meets the aesthetics envisaged in the original design.

The hides normally used in our sector are around 1.1 - 1.2 mm thick because they are less expensive and easier to work. These more common hides are not part of Mascheroni’s sample range. The thinnest hides we work with are around 1.4 mm, and this is our starting point. We have various categories of leather, all much thicker, thus more difficult to work, but that ensure the end product will last longer. What makes our leather so difficult to work, apart from the fact that it is twice and even sometimes three-time as thick as common leathers, is the physical features of the hides: for example, “vegetable tanned leather” is really difficult to bend, fold and sew because it is more rigid.

NATURAL HIDES
These hides are tanned so that all the natural characteristics are left intact and to preserve the excellence of the hides themselves, including the marks of the animal’s life, like small insect bites, wrinkles and different grain. All these marks are a testimony to the fact that the product is indeed natural, and thus must be considered traits of the quality of the product.It is Mascheroni’s job to ensure the hides are cut as well as possible so that those “marks” do not show up on the visible parts of the products.

AF HIDES
Bovine hides, mainly European, between 1.4 - 1.5 mm thick, tanned using chromium salts, aniline drum dyed, natural grain, full grain. Soft and warm, an extremely beautiful look.

LEATHER
Bovine hides, mainly European, between 1.6 - 1.8 mm thick, tanned using chromium salts, aniline drum dyed, full grain. Semi-lucid, almost smooth surface with an aniline effect, “firm” and solid.

PELLE 3M/A
Bovine hides, mainly European, 2.2 mm thick, tanned using chromium salts, aniline drum dyed, natural grain, full grain. Feels like silk. A splendid and delicate material with matchless beauty. The tiny imperfections are a guarantee that the hides are natural.

PELLE 3M
Bovine hides, mainly European, 3 - 4 mm thick, tanned using chromium salts, aniline drum dyed, natural grain, full grain. The almost 4mm thickness guarantees the product will last a long time. The surface has extraordinary natural marks of the life of the animal. Full grain. Strong and warm.


VEGETABLE-TANNED LEATHER
Bovine hides, mainly European, 2.2 mm thick, vegetable tanned, full grain. Semi-lucid smooth surface, strong and warm. An excellent material, extraordinarily beautiful. Available as half hides only. Vegetable tanning uses an old recipe that blends bygone processes with all the technology available today. The process is done by tanners that hand down their slow tanning craftsman from generation to generation with care and passion, thus turning the raw hides into leather without jeopardising nature in any way. A process that is based on the use of natural tannins extracted from trees, on new technology and on long processing times.Indeed, it takes almost 40 days to turn raw hide into a leather like no other in the world, inimitable and unmistakable. Vegetable tanned leathers take on traces of our life. They age, but do not spoil. It is the very changes and personal use over time that bear witness to a product’s naturalness.

As time goes by, the colours of the tannins give the leather warm hues that tend to stand out on the surface of each piece as it is used, products that become unique, personal and that are unrepeatable for each user, like what happens to our skin. The product tends to transform depending on how it is used, thus bringing out its better side. Choosing a product made from this leather means owning a unique, one-of-a-kind product.

The use of tannins leads to extremely high quality products: soft and smooth leathers, marked by full and brilliant dyes, finished in all the possible ways and destined for any use. Products that also have enviable mechanical wear and tear, fully balanced products, even from the point of view of water and temperature resistance, parameters that are often cited as important limits to natural products.

The result is a product that is superior in every aspect, that blends excellent technical features with the prerogative of being made with materials with bygone tastes, that has warm colours and a unique design, a product that will last and improve in time, a product that, at the end of its useful life, can be disposed of safely. 

Mascheroni’s wood collection consists of the over 10 different kinds of wood in the “Mascheroni Wood Colour System” catalogue.The company strives to select only the very best parts of the wood. The main structures of the couches and armchairs are made mostly of solid wood. 

In the production of furniture pieces, on the other hand, solid wood is only partially used. This varies from product to product depending on the shape and aesthetic result sought, which requires matching solid wood, plywood, moulded plywood, strips of wood, root and other enhanced materials.

The proof that a Mascheroni product stands out for the quality and materials used is also given by the weight of the end product. On average, the end product weighs 50% more than a normal product.
The knowledge of woods has led the company to examine in depth the multiple possibilities offered in order to obtain new and ever more exclusive collections.The end product is the fruit of the wisdom of craftsmen and innovation.

This represents our desire and care to meet the requirements of our very demanding customers, people that want special and bespoke products with a very high degree of craftsmanship. It is undoubtedly a very difficult field, but one that allows us to express our potential and that, in the end, gives us a lot of satisfaction.

ADVICE FOR THE BEST CARE OVER TIME:
The following instructions set out the best way to look after your product over time.Leather and wood are high quality natural materials which, depending on their kind and the treatment they undergo, are subject to "ageing" processes that are more or less visible.Clearly, the more these materials are cared for correctly, the more the look and the life of the pieces of furniture will be maintained over time and the less evident the signs of ageing and wear will be. Use the cleaning products we suggest and basically avoid using overly aggressive detergents: this way you will be able to enjoy the Mascheroni quality for many years.

LEATHER: 
Looking after leather:
-To correctly clean leather wipe it very lightly with a cotton cloth or soft wool. Now and then wipe the leather with a slightly damp cloth. 
- Avoid exposure to direct sunlight or any other light source that could cause early colour loss and ageing. Always keep this in mind when deciding where to place your pieces of furniture.
- Do not use aggressive (solvents) or abrasive products. Do not use products for polishing shoes, detergents and any other kind of compound.
- Any stains caused by liquids must be removed promptly using an absorbent cloth. Do not rub the leather; dab it from the outer edge towards the centre.

FURNITURE:
-For normal everyday cleaning, dust the furniture lightly with a soft duster or a cotton cloth. Now and then very carefully wipe the pieces of furniture using a slightly damp soft cotton cloth. 
- NEVER use products that are normally found on the market as they are far too aggressive and the silicone and other compounds they are made of could damage the furniture. As such, avoid using products that contain acetone, thinners, ammonia, detergents or wax.
- Rarely, and only if it is necessary, use the product we supplied with the piece of furniture with a slightly damp soft cotton cloth.


PADDING 
Ordinary care: we suggest you beat the seat and back cushions once a week to return them to their original shape. Distribute the padding evenly by shaking the cushions and now and then swap over the cushions that are used the most with those that are used the least.

Italian art and cultural heritage have always been at the heart of our pride and identity.Throughout its history, Mascheroni has funded the restoration of some of Canova's works of art, it has organised art prizes, supported old venues like the Libreria Bocca (Italy's oldest bookshop) and constantly financed important associations like the FAI (the Italian national trust) which safeguards, restores and opens up historical places and buildings throughout Italy to the general publi