Original steel Rapper chair - Colico

Industrial style, basic colors, and simple yet sophisticated interweaving lines make Rapper a chair born in times of contrasts and honesty.

Innovative design combined with incredible 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.

A Brief History of the Company

It’s 1920, and in Brianza, a land rich in peasant tradition near Milan, the first design and carpentry schools are founded, and artisan furniture shops 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 a first wave of change. Aware of the growing attention from the bourgeoisie to the value of home and related goods, their refined taste, and the ongoing urbanization process, he chooses 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 tradition, taste, and a strong sense of belonging. But for Antonio, that’s not enough; Antonio is a cautious entrepreneur and seizes the opportunity presented by the development of a new district in the heart of Friuli Venezia Giulia, beginning to differentiate 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, times of economic growth, where 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 brand remain in Brianza, where Antonio’s wife and his most loyal collaborators continue working on product finishes and details, focusing on quality and craftsmanship that the company is known for. The commercial structure also began to take shape thanks to participation in its 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 entrepreneurial history of the Colico family 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 business to design and international markets, which inspire him and to which he directs his attention. The new company was founded in 1982, called Colico Design.

1990s

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

2000

At the turn of the century, Colico Design expands thanks to a network of Italian and international distributors. It’s time to focus on the brand image, to work on an iconic 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, now renowned architect Kicco Bestetti, creates a iconic product: the Milano 2015 chair. In this product, he gives his all: love for his city and joy from being a guest at Expo 2015, a passion for color and new technologies, lines of classic design, as well as memories and emotions of form with which he has lived in close contact since childhood. It is an instant 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 featured artists of caliber such as Karima Rashid, Piero Lissoni, Elio Fiorucci, and Patricia Urquiola. Manufacturer information