Italian minimalist outdoor bench without backrest

1920

This story begins when founder Giuseppe Baggio and his son Vittorio Senior, who had been producing wooden shoes and clogs since 1880, started manufacturing wooden chairs with handcrafted straw seats in their artisan workshop in Thiene (Vicenza).

1930

Vittorio Baggio Senior leaves the footwear production to his brothers and focuses on wooden chair manufacturing. He designs and produces products, creating new, original, and innovative shapes and decorations.

1940

The workshop becomes the company “Baggio Vittorio & Figli” when Vittorio Senior’s sons also join the business, and in 1945 he becomes one of the founding members of the Industrial Association in Vicenza. During these years, Vittorio Baggio Senior created the first kneeling wooden chair, which was used in most Italian churches in subsequent years.

1950

The company developed and patented the first adjustable lounge chair called “Poltrona Delizia”. The lounge chair was designed by Vittorio Baggio Junior, who had just started working in his father’s company.

1960

Vittorio Baggio Junior, along with his brother Carlo and sister Maria, founded the company “Baggio” and began producing metal chairs, which soon were exported abroad.

1970

Production of wooden chairs was eventually discontinued, and the company shifted focus to steel and aluminum manufacturing, creating collections for the residential, office, and contract sectors.

1980

The company reached maximum expansion, becoming a leader in the Italian market with 5 factories, 500 employees, and a daily production of 7,000 chairs, tables, and accessories, exported worldwide and sold through major distributors such as IKEA and SEARS in the United States and Canada.

1990

Franco and Silvia Baggio began collaborating with their father Vittorio Junior and soon established a new company with the registered trademark Altek®, creating a line of patented items, unique elements with sophisticated design, in collaboration with several prestigious Italian and European designers.

2000

The Altek® brand became a reference point for architects and interior designers worldwide, winning notable awards such as “Good Design” in the USA for the Vertigo line by Zurich and “IDot” for the Graal table and Kore chair designed by Baggio Victor. The Vertigo line became part of the Permanent Collection at the Museum of Architecture and Design in Chicago.

2010

The Altek® brand changed its name to “Altek Italia Design” and adopted a new research and development philosophy based on the “Islands” concept, a new collection characterized by modularity, innovation, and ecological sustainability. Altek inaugurated the COMPANY MUSEUM, showcasing its history through a collection of original products representing each decade since the 1920s. Significant investments in research led to important collections for airports, private and public waiting areas, offices, hotels, and universities. The company received prestigious international awards, such as the “Grands Prix du Design” 12th Edition in Canada for the contract and institutional sector, and was selected as a finalist for the Mixology Awards in 2018 and 2019 in England, with the AirWave collection designed by Topo Design.

2020

Altek Italia Design has just begun a new decade, looking to the future with innovative ideas and projects, fully aware of the importance and responsibility that come with a century-long history.