Good furniture leather can be recognised by how it feels: Soft and pleasing to the touch, the animal hide conforms supplely to the human skin. Only the best qualities of leather guarantee this property, which is why FSM leather is subjected to stringent selection criteria.

The quality of leather is closely linked with its actual supplier – the animal itself. Large animals are required for the production of leather furniture, preferably breeds of cattle that have been reared for meat production in good conditions, particularly in Switzerland, southern Germany and Scandinavia.

Tanning turns the hides into leather, only a fraction of which is suitable for making furniture. During this process, the protein in the hide is chemically linked with a tanning agent. This preserves the hide and makes it resistant to water and putrefactive bacteria, without forfeiting its natural structure. This craft has been performed for thousands of years; today’s tanning blends ancient traditions with modern environmentally-friendly processes and technical equipment.

As a rule, the hides are split after dyeing. The natural grain side is referred to as Nappa leather, which is between 1.2 and 1.8 mm thick.

Dyeing and finishing turn the leather into what we all know and love. During aniline dyeing, dyes penetrate the pores in a water bath and colour the leather all the way through. This way the surface of the leather retains its vibrant, finely-nuanced appearance and the hide’s patterning remains open and natural. Small scars, like those caused by other animals’ horns, are therefore individual features and not imperfections. Over the course of the years, the effect of light causes the colour of leather to change slightly and the surface to take on a patina: these are properties that point to the naturalness of the product.

FSM offers five qualities of leather: Leather F (pigmented Nappa leather), Leather Group A (easy-care Nappa leather), Leather Group K (finely-grained Nappa leather), Leather Group N (Nappa leather with its original natural look and a silky appearance and feel) and Coloral (a special Nappa leather that can be dyed any NCS or RAL colour to meet customer requirements).