Challenge

This 240㎡ family-run artisan leather atelier in central Florence, Italy, combines a handcraft production workshop and a front retail showroom. The space features raw plaster walls, high exposed joist ceilings and solid workbenches, matching the brand’s premium handmade heritage aesthetic. During peak production and weekend visitor hours, sewing machines, leather skiving, hammering and customer chatter build up quickly. Fine leather dust and conditioning oils fill the air, requiring acoustic materials that are stain-resistant, easy to wipe clean and dimensionally stable, without losing the workshop’s rustic craft identity.

Solution

Cement-bonded wood wool acoustic panels are installed across the main showroom ceiling and upper workshop walls. The fine, uniform light-oat wood wool texture resists leather dust and oil residue buildup, supports regular wipe-down cleaning, while blending seamlessly with the exposed joist and plaster interior and absorbing scattered reflected sound across the high-ceilinged space. Behind the checkout counter and display wall, E0-grade polyester fiber acoustic panels in warm saddle tones are custom cut to match built-in shelf display layouts.

All panels carry EN 13501 Class A fire certification, meeting EU retail and light manufacturing venue safety requirements. Installation was completed after hours over 7 days with zero disruption to daily production and sales.

Result

Peak-hour ambient noise across the showroom and workshop drops by an estimated 36%. Customers can hold conversations at normal volume even at full capacity, and average in-store dwell time increases by 24%. The wood wool panels hold up well to regular leather dust exposure and cleaning, with the owner noting they reinforce the brand’s handcrafted Tuscan aesthetic rather than looking like a functional add-on.