Florentine Craftsmanship: Il Pezzo Mancante

​​Il Pezzo Mancante was founded by Cosimo Terzani and Barbara Bertocci in 2010. As a result of their passion for exquisite raw materials and an innate love for Tuscany, their homeland, Cosimo & Barbara created a world made of authenticity and vision in which one can rediscover rich artisan culture.

Il Pezzo Mancante celebrates the beauty of handcrafted pieces; tangible works of art designed to express warmth and “familiar feel”. The solid wood, the brass castings, the hand-blown crystal and the marble sourced from the finest Carrara quarries, are not just icons from the past but symbols of timeless intelligence and elegance rediscovered in modern life.

​Tell us the story of your brand.

We met in 2007 and from the start we shared our passion for artisanal craftsmanship and for “noble” materials like brass, solid wood, and marble, and, of course, design. Driven by our will to bring our ideas to life and conscious of the strength of our union, in 2010 we founded Il Pezzo Mancante, combining our individual knowledge of lighting and furniture.

Our original project was to outsource the production of our collections, however, after two years we decided to craft our pieces in our atelier, especially for the wood furniture, so that we could have the complete control over the production and reach the top quality we were striving for and create unique pieces. We didn’t have experience in wood furniture production and we had to learn the various production techniques and create our own way, which includes the use of CNC machines to make certain items and hand-craftsmanship for products that need attention, care, and manual skills.

When it comes to the commercial aspect of our business, we established a path that we could identify with, deciding not to rely on standard distribution but to collaborate with a few, selected partners around the world. During the first nine years, our partnership grew stronger with marriage and a splendid daughter. Il Pezzo Mancante is part of our family, something that needs to be taken care of.

Through the years, we have assembled a team of people we are proud of. They come from completely different backgrounds and have chosen this job guided by passion. They share our same values and also the craziness!

​Your creations are completely crafted by hand. What is the most fascinating step in making them? And what is your material of choice?

Transforming raw materials into the finished pieces, what we have designed is a wonderful feeling and a source of great satisfaction. Looking how melted brass is casted in the mould or liquid crystal taking shape, experiencing the smoldering heat of the furnace, or observing how soldering is carried out is enthralling to us and makes us feel part of a tradition that we are honored to continue.

The most fascinating phase is definitely the woodworking. Solid wood is a live material that we have learned to respect in order to work it. It is impossible to “block” enormous 8 cm-thick boards: wood will continue to move in time and we had to adapt, coming up with the necessary techniques to let the wood move without cracking or bending the finished piece. The beauty of these materials lies in their uniqueness. Each board is different from the others, each has its nuances, knots, and feathers: traces of the tree’s history. Furthermore, the scent that emanates is intense and primitive. It smells of nature.

​How do you render the authenticity and unicity of your products?

Every piece is one-of-a-kind. An object made in solid wood, or a combination of solid wood and marble, cannot ever be the exact copy of another, because of the intrinsic nature of these materials. They only feature small differences that add value to the piece. We have always wanted to emphasize this uniqueness to bring value to each piece and to give each client his own exclusive, unrepeatable object. We add a brass cylinder inserted in each piece, where the name of the collection and the serial number are engraved. The same serial number appears also on the Certificate of Authenticity presented to the client.