Design table h109cm - steel and oak wood, Acqua Alta - Colico

Emphasis on materiality and contrast created through balance and the use of opposing materials, such as oak wood and steel sheet. Acqua Alta bistrot is a product designed to add a touch of originality to bars and clubs, public areas, and snack zones.

Original design combined with extraordinary projects gives a synonym for the Colico brand. It’s a nod to true craftsmanship, multi-generational manufacturing, and details that ultimately influence the style of the finished products. A major advantage of these exclusive chairs is the wide range of color options and combinations, allowing you to create your dream interior design.

Important milestones in the brand’s history

It is 1920, and in Brianza, a land with a peasant tradition near Milan, the first design and carpentry schools are founded, and artisan furniture workshops are gaining strength. This is where the company’s story begins. A family story that starts with Andrea Colico and his passion for chairs, which he produces in a small courtyard in the town of Cabiate.

1950s

After the difficult post-war years, Antonio, Andrea’s son, senses the first signs of change. Aware of the growing attention from the bourgeoisie to the value of the home and related goods, their refined taste, and the ongoing urbanization process, he decides to move himself and his family to Varedo, close to what is becoming one of the most important cities in Europe: Milan.

1960s

These are the golden years of furniture. Chair production, deeply rooted in the territory where it operates, draws on local taste and tradition, and has a strong sense of belonging. But for Antonio, that’s not enough; he is a cautious entrepreneur and takes advantage of the development of a new district in the heart of Friuli Venezia Giulia, beginning to distinguish between semi-finished products purchased in the Udine province and the processing continued in his laboratory in Brianza.

1970s

Antonio Colico continues to grow and develop. These are flourishing years, marked by economic growth, when work is seen as a social value. At this historic moment, Antonio decides to open a manufacturing plant in Friuli, a region increasingly specialized in wood processing for chair production. However, the head and heart of the company remain in Brianza, where Antonio’s wife and his most loyal collaborators continue working on finishes and product details, paying attention to quality and craftsmanship that the company is known for. The commercial structure also began to take shape, notably through participation in the first Salone Internazionale del Mobile in 1970, an event to which the Colico family would dedicate the next 50 years.

1980s

The third significant phase in the Colico family’s entrepreneurial history began in the 1980s. Young Walter, Antonio and Maria’s eldest son, supports his father in managing the company. Thanks to design studies abroad, Walter opens the doors of the family brand to design and international markets, drawing inspiration from and targeting these markets. The new company, Colico Design, was founded in 1982.

1990s

Ten years after the new company’s founding, Walter’s younger brother Diego joins him. Along with their father Antonio and an increasingly close and consolidated family of collaborators, the company develops and strengthens its position on global markets, also through participation in trade fairs. These are years of experimentation, initial hesitation in using colors, but also a focus on lines that Walter deeply desired, becoming increasingly a creative force within the company thanks to his talent for beautiful, eccentric, and experimental objects.

2000s

At the turn of the century, Colico Design expands thanks to a network of Italian and international distributors. It’s time to focus on image, to work on the flagship collection. Walter begins collaborating with young architects and promising designers. The success was immediate: new important business contacts were established, and Colico products started being featured in major TV programs across entertainment, sports, news, and lifestyle sectors.

2010

Walter, together with his childhood friend and now renowned architect Kicco Bestetti, creates a cult product: the Milano 2015 chair. In this project, he gives his all: love for his city and joy as a guest of Expo 2015, a passion for color and new technologies, a line of classic design, as well as memories and emotions of form, with which he has been closely connected since childhood. It is an immediate success that continues to this day and has placed Milano 2015 at the center of several projects, including Design for Charity held in the magnificent setting of the Triennale building in April 2011, which was attended by artists of caliber such as Karima Rashid, Piero Lissoni, Elio Fiorucci, and Patricia Urquiola.

2015

Walter’s path of discovery and introspection leads to 2015, a year in which the journey is a return to the beginnings through a new collection where wood and upholstery take center stage, culminating in the creation of a new logo. The logo, which places family, roots, and blood ties at its core, also honors the people who contributed to shaping the history and tradition of this company, which is celebrating a century of history. It also reflects a concern for the new, a desire to propose a different product, an engagement, and a question: what is an unconventional design?

2020

Today, the Colico brand celebrates its 100th anniversary. 100 years spent by a family passing down their knowledge from generation to generation. A company that strives for growth while maintaining a family dimension, connecting its business and life with that of each person who develops and lives within it.