Waiya steel armchair and a unique seat to choose from - Colico

Unique design and extraordinary harmony between components are the key to understanding the concept from which Waiya originates. A chair and armchair with a contemporary flair that have their roots in our recent past.

Design craftsmanship combined with incredible projects gives the Colico brand its synonym. 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 elegant chairs is the wide range of color options and combinations, allowing you to create your dream design within your interior.

A bit of brand history

The year is 1920, and in Brianza, a land with a peasant tradition near Milan, the first design and carpentry schools are born, 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 difficult post-war years, Antonio, Andrea’s son, feels a new breeze of change. Aware of the growing attention from the bourgeois public to the value of the 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 of furniture. Chair production, deeply rooted in the territory where it operates, draws from local taste and tradition, to which it always feels a strong sense of belonging. But for Antonio, this is 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 semi-finished products purchased in the Udine province from 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 woodworking for chair construction. 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 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 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, the eldest son of Antonio and Maria, supports his father in managing the company. Thanks to design studies conducted abroad, Walter opens the doors for the family brand to design and international markets, drawing inspiration from and targeting these markets. 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 consolidated family of collaborators, the company develops and strengthens its presence on global markets, also thanks to participation in trade fairs. These are years of experimentation, initial hesitation in using colors, but also a focus on lines that Walter deeply desired, who increasingly becomes 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 visionary 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.

2010

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, classic lines, 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 the caliber of Karima Rashid, Piero Lissoni, Elio Fiorucci, and Patricia Urquiola.

2015

Walter’s path of discovery and introspection leads to 2015, a year that marks a return to the origins through a new collection where wood and upholstery take center stage, culminating in the creation of a new logo. The logo places family, roots, and blood ties at its core, but also the people who contributed to shaping the history and tradition of this company, which celebrates a century of history. It also reflects a focus on new ideas, a desire to propose different products, and questions about what an unconventional project truly is.

2020

Today, Colico celebrates its 100th anniversary. A century spent by a family passing down their knowledge from generation to generation. A company committed to growth, maintaining a family dimension, while integrating its business and life with that of each individual who develops and lives within it.

Manufacturer information