About OLIVARI B. S.P.A
Since 1911 Olivari has been manufacturing handles at its own factories in Italy where the entire production process takes place. Starting with brass billets, the handles are forged, milled, polished, buffed, chrome-plated and hallmarked with a laser. Olivari has attained ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications. Though it uses the most advanced technology, Olivari preserves all the artisanal wisdomit has accumulated in 100 years of history.
100 years history
In its century-old history, Olivari has always sought out the maximum in quality, relying on the creativity of the best designers and architects. The Olivari family has handed down its attention to details, the search for innovation, and mainly a passion for its work, from generation to generation.
In the beginning
Battista Olivari founds the company in 1911 in Borgomanero, in the province of Novara; its plants are still there and its handles are entirely manufactured there. In 1926, Battista is succeeded by his wife Antonietta Ramelli, one of the few women directing a company at the time. In the 1930s, the first collaboration with architects begins with Marcello Piacentini and Gio Ponti, two of the important Italian architects of the era.
After war
After World War II the company passes to the hands of the brothers Ernesto, Ambrogio, and Luigi. Olivari helps post bellum reconstruction by working side by side not only with Gio Ponti, who designs a classic handle like Lama, but with architects of the stature of Franco Albini, Ignazio Gardella, Angelo Mangiarotti, Caccia Dominioni, and BBPR as well. These designers create superbly handsome custom handles for their buildings. Then the designs stay in the Olivari catalogue; some of them are still being manufactured.
1960s
Starting in the 1960s, Olivari is looking for new designs, and decides to call on the leading exponents of Italian design such as Sergio Asti, Marcello Nizzoli and Joe Colombo. At the same time it never stops following evolutions in technology: in 1959 it markets Bica, the world’s first anodized aluminum handle. In 1970 it introduces Boma, the first colored plastic handle. They both quickly become widely copied best-sellers.
1980s
In the 1980s, the company is handed down to the third generation of the Olivari family and the company go-es international. New designers are summoned: Gior-getto Giugiaro, Ferdinand A. Porsche, Rodolfo Bonetto, and Giotto Stoppino, who wins the Italian Golden Compass design award with his handle Alessia.
1990s
The following decade is marked by profitable collaboration with Alessandro Mendini, the company’s art director who rethinks the corporate image. This is how handles by Paolo Portoghesi, Oscar Tusquets, Vico Magistretti, Richard Sapper, Andrea Branzi, and Massimo Iosa Ghini come into the company.
The Oughts
In the oughts, the manufacturing system is highly automated and environmentally friendly. The Biochrome finish and SuperFinish are introduced. Rodolfo Dordoni, Enzo Mari, James Irvine, Piero Lissoni and Patricia Urquiola are just a few of the designers involved, not to mention leaders in contemporary architecture: Shigeru Ban, Steven Holl, Toyo Ito, Daniel Libeskind, Peter Marino and Dominique Perrault.
2010s
During the first part the year two thousand and ten, famous architects and designers such as Jean Nouvel, Ben Van Berkel, Patricia Urquiola, Marcel Wanders and Ron Gilad express themselves with different languages and create sculpted, dynamic, minimal, ironic and surprising handles.
Subsequently Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas and Ma Yansong feel the need to complete their architectural projects with their own handle and so were born Chevron, Open and Marilyn.
At the same time Olivari offers a collection of handles - jewelry, characterized by Guilloché engravings, ancient technique used in the field of jewelry, developed with the support of Maestro Riccardo Renzetti of Milan.
2017 is comining and the research by Olivari continues...
BRANDS