Original steel Rapper chair - Colico

Industrial style, basic colors, and simple yet sophisticated interweaving of 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 Bite of the Company’s History

It is 1920, and in Brianza, a land with a peasant tradition near Milan, the first design and carpentry schools are emerging, 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 the first signs of change. Aware of the growing attention of the bourgeoisie to the value of home and related goods, their refined taste, and the ongoing process of urbanization, 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 for furniture. Chair production, deeply rooted in the territory where it operates, draws from local taste and tradition and always maintains a strong sense of belonging. But for Antonio, that’s not enough; Antonio 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, years 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, paying attention to quality and craftsmanship, which the company is known for. The commercial structure also began to take shape thanks to participation in the 1970 Salone Internazionale del Mobile, an event to which the Colico family would dedicate the next 50 years.

1980s

The third significant phase in the history of the Colico family business 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 towards which he directs his gaze. The new company was founded in 1982 under the name Colico Design.

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 thanks to participation in trade fairs. These are years of experimentation, the first hesitant approaches to using colors, but also a focus on lines that Walter very much desired, who increasingly becomes 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 distribution. It’s time to focus on 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 entertainment, sports, news, and lifestyle TV programs.

2010s

Walter, together with his childhood friend, now renowned architect Kicco Bestetti, creates a iconic product: the Milano 2015 chair. In this creation, he gives his all: love for his city and joy from being a guest at 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 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, featuring artists of caliber such as Karima Rashid, Piero Lissoni, Elio Fiorucci, and Patricia Urquiola. Manufacturer information