Our articles dedicated to the world of Joinery, tailor-made carpentry systems and the best European manufacturing companies.

Tag Archive for: Joinery

Ottaviano Borgonovo Tells Us about The Art of Creating Iconic Spaces with a Sustainable Vision

At the heart of MisuraEmme lie values of commitment, dedication, and cooperation, led by Ottaviano Borgonovo, the leader and third generation of the company. This legacy is deeply influenced by Ottaviano’s revered mother, Tiziana Mascheroni, who passed away in 1991, and whose testament can be seen at the entrance of the company’s headquarters in Mariano Comense, in the province of Como, Northern Italy.

MisuraEmme places primary importance on the care and conservation of our planet. A pioneer in environmental responsibility, the company has obtained the prestigious Aquaver certificate as the first to invest in water-based painting, exemplified by the revered 0001 mark from ANVER.

Renowned for product customisation, meticulous attention to detail, and the use of high-quality materials, MisuraEmme stands out as a pioneer in the high-end market, driven by its flagship product, the “Palo Alto” night system.

Ottaviano is determined about the future: to continue with steadfastness, supporting the family business with unwavering commitment and passion. The legacy forged by MisuraEmme is a testament to its authoritative position in the industry, built on a foundation of respect, expertise, and enthusiasm.

Thanks to Lucrezia Radice for her extraordinary collaboration! 😊

Bespoke joinery: from the idea to your dream environment

Here it is the art of customised joinery systems, where each modular element comes to life to meet individual needs.

Welcome to the exciting world of custom joinery, where incredible opportunities for customisation open up to you. We thought of involving our fantastic Expert of Joinery Modularity, Roberta Apuleo, in order to make this journey even more interesting and instructive. She has 39 years of experience in the furniture industry and specialises in designing modular systems.

Bespoke Joinery in practice

Bespoke joinery is a customised approach to designing and creating interior furnishings to meet specific needs and individual preferences. It’s known for its customisation, quality, adaptability, exclusivity and design flexibility. It can cover a wide range of interior design elements, including kitchens, bathroom vanties, bookcases, wardrobes and more.

Narcisse wardrobe

Customisation is the Answer

The main features of bespoke joinery include customisation. Thanks to it, every element of the joinery, from the size to the materials, from the finishes to the arrangement of components, can be customised to perfectly suit the space and taste of the customer. This adaptability allows detailed design to solve specific space, functionality and style requirements in a wide range of situations, from private residences to commercial spaces.

The joinery is therefore ideal if you’re looking for exclusivity and flexibility, as each piece is unique and you’ll enjoy an environment that stands out for its originality, attention to detail and aesthetic vision.

Example of Industrial Joinery: Crossing

Crossing by MisuraEmme, designed by Mauro Lipparini, is a cutting-edge joinery solution that seamlessly combines form and function. Its modular panels allow for flexible wall-mounted shelving, offering complete adjustability along three axes for endless configuration possibilities. Crossing offers various module types and sizes, including units with different door styles and drawers. It comes in two versions: Fusion for a modern look and Listellare for a warmer ambiance. Its integrated LED lighting system adds elegance, making it a versatile and stylish storage solution.

Artisan and Industrial Quality

Both craft and industry can be used to make customised furniture, offering unique and functional solutions for living space. The choice depends on individual needs, but in both cases, the goal remains to create a unique and functional space that reflects one’s personality and style.

However, when we talk about bespoke joinery, you’re often led to think only about a handcrafted product and you might find it difficult to associate the process with an industry. Instead, there are now furniture companies capable of creating extraordinary tailor-made designs, adapted to the customer’s specific needs, with the added technology and perfection of industry.

Manufacturing Processes

The individual craftsman and industry only have in common their first approach to work, which is the design of the product you want to make. From now on, the craftsman will work on the single piece by hand, while industry can move on to the study of the most suitable materials for the manufacture and use of the specific product, focusing on the various possibilities of composing the individual elements to best realise the project. Finally, the industry will offer you a wide choice of finishes to choose from, including timber veneer or laquer, both glossy and matt, or HPL, high pressure laminate, which are now endless. Not least, you can even think about customising the hardware.

Once approval is obtained, the project goes to the production engineers who determine the feasibility and delivery time.

If you rely on an industry for customised work, you’ll first of all have the guarantee of programmable and well-defined delivery times. In addition, the company itself will have world-class designers and advanced production technologies at its disposal.

The Crucial Importance of Material Selection

In the industrial context, the precise selection of materials plays a pivotal role. Alongside the wide array of available finishes, the industry carefully adopts chipboard or plywood depending on specific design and structural needs.
Conversely, master craftsmen in carpentry, for similar projects, mainly uses MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) for its ease of manual work, despite being aware of the resulting compromises in terms of quality, added weight, and increased vulnerability to moisture, with the consequent risk of deformation.

Another notable distinction lies in the industry’s capability to masterfully combine different materials, as exemplified, for instance, in the acclaimed “Palo Alto” project by MisuraEmme. This system skillfully integrates and alternates glass and metal to create a fully customizable system, successfully challenging the boundaries of the artisanal context.

Undertaking projects with specific dimensions and complexity would prove exceedingly challenging, if not nearly impossible, for an artisan to achieve the same quality standards while simultaneously maintaining competitiveness in terms of the quality-price ratio. Consequently, the industry unquestionably represents the most advantageous choice for those whose priorities center around customization paired with maximum quality and the best possible price.

Ultimately, you’ll be able to benefit from a much broader and more professional view of your finished product, resulting from the collaboration of several professionals specialised in the field.

Craftsmanship at the Core

Thanks to the big brands that have kept craftsmanship at the core of their production processes, you can rely on the custom joinery industry without losing anything, but rather gaining in terms of quality standards. So forget the mass-produced stuff and get ready to receive a customised product with all the industry guarantees.

Salone del Mobile.Milano and Design Week 2023

Once again we have combined the passion for our work with friendship, as we like to do… as we like to be! The 61st edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano and Milan Design Week 2023 were amazing!

Thanks to our clients, partners and managers for having lived these intense and exclusive days together.

Thanks to our suppliers for welcoming us with kindness and professionalism.

Visits to the exhibitors, definition of the projects, details of the orders and the splendid conclusion at Lake Como… what a beautiful experience!

People

Our Italian team consisted of managers Filippo Salbini, Maria Giordano and Antonio Pepe.

With them also our Expert in Joinery Modularity Roberta Apuleo.

Our manager Scott Wilson has joined us from Australia.

Our Malaysian partner Steven Leong was in Italy with his collaborators.

Our American partner Tom Landry II joined us from the USA with his trusted collaborator Miriam Padberg Owens.

Joining our team were also some leading international interior designers and architects with whom we collaborate with enthusiasm and also some Australian clients who have chosen the last details for some ongoing residential projects.

Projects

We worked on some projects closely with our clients and direct suppliers, while our partners and collaborators took care of the selection and details for some supplies in Asia, Australia and North America.

Brands

At Salone del Mobile.Milano we experienced first-hand the latest news from the best furniture manufacturers. At Euroluce area we have dedicated ourselves to lighting.

We have further strengthened relationships with some manufacturers and established new relationships with some important Italian and European brands

In the evening, however, we took part in exclusive events organized by our trusted suppliers in Milan.

We met Amura, Barovier & Toso, Baxter, Boca Do Lobo, Bover, Cini&Nils, Emmemobili, Extremis, Impatia, Kare, Koket, Longhi, Luceplan, Malerba, miniforms, MisuraEmme, Nomon, Paolo Castelli, Preciosa, Rosa Splendiani, Scolaro, Teckell, Tonon, Wall Decò.

Lake Como

We decided to conclude our Exclusive Design Week 2023 in a splendid location, hosting our friends for lunch at Lake Como. No work here… just chatting and having fun with friends!

Our job is beautiful, because it allows us to have relationships based on sincere esteem, mutual trust and solid friendships.

We are really lucky!

MisuraEmme Company

Ability, persistence and enthusiasm. MisuraEmme could be described with these three words. 

The company, located in Italy, in Mariano Comense (CO), was founded in 1902 by Giovanni Mascheroni. Today it has a factory of 35,000 m2.

However, we asked manager Ottaviano Borgonovo to tell us something more about this company.

Born in 1987, since 2014, Ottaviano is passionately dedicated to the commercial and marketing aspects of the family business, demonstrating great competence and professionalism.

About 10 years at the head of the Company: which developments have you noticed over this period?

“As first, I have seen the evolution of many international markets in the furniture industry, which have become strategic to its success. This is why, we wanted the company to become more and more international, in order to adapt to the requirements of foreign markets, different from those of the Italian market.

A further consequence of the decision to invest in foreign markets was the reinforcement of the quality and international design of the products. We’ve also decided to invest more in raw material technology and in the industrial process.

As a result of these choices, sales have reversed from 80% in the Italian market to less than 20% in 2022.”

Customizing the product according to the individual’s needs is one of the strengths of MisuraEmme. What are the differences between Italian and international customers? Do needs change based on geography?

“Definitely. It’s not a secret that there are countries with a taste for minimal, such as northern Europe, while those of the Middle East prefer a sumptuous aesthetic, with a prevalence of bronzed metals and marble. Quite the opposite, the United States is focused on wood. However, each country has its own specific taste.

Anyway, a trend in the luxury market is developing recently, with an international taste that unites all geographical areas and combines elements of different styles.

But another significant difference between customer types concerns the way the market is conceived: design, in fact, plays a role of primary importance in the international arena, compared to the simple production of the product. The sale of a project is much more important than the sale of the product itself.”

In 2003, MisuraEmme was awarded the Acquaver label for the use of environmentally friendly painting systems. How attentive is today’s customer to the green theme?

“The green theme is becoming more and more relevant for all markets. In fact, the appreciation for using eco-sustainable materials and industrial solutions with a lower environmental impact is increasing.

Moreover, consumer awareness has increased not only towards the product, but also towards the sustainable attitude of the company that produces it.

Being a green company not only means using materials and solutions with a lower environmental impact, but also adopting a respectful approach to the environment in the daily management of the company itself

In other words we want sustainability to be a theme in all areas of the company’s work.”

Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023: what’s new at MisuraEmme?

“This year we brought two new boiserie systems to the Salone del Mobile: Puzzle and Palo Alto Wall. We designed these two systems to be integrated with all the day and night equipment and the finishes are completely customizable. So we have a range of furniture solutions that are potentially infinite and widely customizable, which is the quintessence of the sartorial attitude of MisuraEmme.”

Puzzle

Designed by CR&S MisuraEmme

Puzzle is an equipped and modular boiserie system for wall coverings, which includes a series of completely integrated elements: wooden containers, glass cases and shelves.

The idea starts from the concept of evolution of the composition, thanks to wall coverings that can be equipped with dedicated elements, which can be used both in the living area and in the sleeping area.

It consists of a system of uprights and transoms in aluminum to be fixed to the wall and a series of frame panels.

Puzzle is available in different finishes: wood, concrete, straw or thermoformed melamine.

Palo Alto Wall

Designed by Gianni Borgonovo

Palo Alto Wall is the wooden boiserie system which becomes the distinctive element of an exclusive and functional sleeping area, with the elegance of the unmistakable MisuraEmme style.

It is a floor-to-ceiling wall covering, which can be fully integrated with the Palo Alto Free and Palo Alto I-Box walk-in closet systems, which opens up an infinite range of furnishing possibilities, providing the designer with various opportunities.

Special tip: the prestige of wood and glass can be further enhanced by installing exclusive LED lights, thanks to the electrified rack structure.

In your opinion, which is the secret of MisuraEmme’s success?

“Certainly, the ability to understand customer needs and intercept market trends. The collaboration with architects of international caliber has also contributed to the success. Last but not least, the strategic vision and the belief of my family, which over the generations has always enthusiastically supported all the innovations in research and innovation in design and product.”

How do you imagine the future of the Company? What is your vision of MisuraEmme?

“The evolution will be crucial to face an increasingly competitive market.

Because of the presence of foreign industrial companies in the furniture sector, we should be able to intercept the needs of a market that is moving towards a demand for life style, as well as product, in order to compete internationally. To consolidate our presence in the most emerging markets, we’ll then face a series of international investments.

Finally, it will be essential to implement the latest technological innovations that in these years are revolutionizing the world of communication and beyond.”

Credits: Photographs courtesy of MisuraEmme.

Visit to MisuraEmme in January 2023

Our visit to MisuraEmme in January 2023 to discover the original creations, produced in Italy by this historic furniture brand.

MisuraEmme is able to offer furnishing lines characterized by a high degree of customization and conceived one-to-one with the customer, devising solutions in harmony with the different international contexts.

Salone del Mobile Milano 2022

The 60th edition of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan was a special occasion to immerse ourselves in the world of design and to bring together our international managers and collaborators.

From 7 to 12 June 2022, at Rho Fiera Milano, we had a unique experience with customers, managers and partners, touching the products firsthand and admiring the new collections of the best Made in Italy and European brands.

We have combined the passion for our work with pleasant encounters of friendship and relaxation.

Our people

We have been to Milan with part of our Italian team, with our international managers and collaborators and with some clients from Brisbane and Sydney in Australia.

Our Italian team was made up of Filippo Salbini, Maria Giordano and Antonio Pepe.

Our Australian managers were Scott Wilson from Sydney and Vittoria Chiarilli from Melbourne.

Our South Korean manager Chan Yoon was in Milan with his collaborators from Seoul.

Our Malaysian partner Veanne Choon was with us with her team from Kuala Lumpur.

Our American partner Tom Landry II joined us from New Orleans.

Projects

The Salone del Mobile Milano 2022 was an opportunity to work on some projects underway in Australia, Malaysia, South Korea and North America, in which we will supply furniture, appliances, joinery and bathroom products (Find out more about our services).

Brands

We met old and new partners. We have established relationships with our business partners and have established new partnerships for the international supply of furniture.

The Salone del Mobile Milano 2022 was also an opportunity to touch the new collections of many brands present at the fair:

  • AmuraLab
  • Arredo Classic
  • B-Line
  • Baxter
  • Bla Station
  • Boca Do Lobo
  • Campeggi
  • Carpanelli
  • Carpanese Home
  • CC-Tapis
  • CEA Design
  • Conte Italia
  • De Sede
  • DV Home
  • Edra
  • Essential Homes
  • Ethimo
  • Exteta
  • Fiam
  • Francesco Molon
  • Frato
  • Gallotti e Radice
  • Gervasoni
  • Giulio Marelli
  • Glas Italia
  • GTV Design
  • Hommes Studio
  • Impatia
  • Itlas
  • Knoll
  • Longhi
  • Matrix International
  • MDF Italia
  • MD House
  • Medea
  • MisuraEmme
  • MYYOUR Design
  • Nanimarquina
  • Naos
  • Oniro Group
  • Pedrali
  • Porro
  • Private Label
  • Riva 1920
  • Roberti
  • Roche Bobois
  • Rugiano
  • Saba
  • Secolo
  • Segis
  • Sovet
  • Tacchini
  • Talenti
  • Teekell
  • Tribù
  • Triva Group
  • Vener
  • Visionnaire
  • Zeitrum
  • Zieta

What a great experience!

The Salone del Mobile is a very important event for the whole industry. Experiencing the 2022 edition with international managers and collaborators was fantastic

The joy of our customers who have selected the products for their projects makes us proud

The satisfied faces of all the participants make us understand that these occasions are to be repeated.