It all begins with an intuition of Rolando Ciatti. As a curious and attentive observer of a world that is changing so fast around him, he understands that a place in the house must be found for that strange, new object – the television - which was about to shake the Italians habit.
That’s how Ciatti was founded, in Borgo San Frediano, in Florence Oltrarno, as the first company in Italy to produce TV benches.
Thanks to her innovative vision, Flavia Ciatti together with Gianni Pareschi, her precious Art Director, presents Ciatti a Tavola at the Milan Furniture Fair. This collection confidently brought concepts and materials into homes - steel above all - that up until then were used exclusively for public and industrial spaces.
Free-standing kitchen units, which could be combined and allocated according to the use and furnishings accessories that blend functionality and extreme practicality.
When strict form meets the most unconventional experimentation in design: the Ciatti family meets Bruno Rainaldi. Together they found CCR design, a new company focused on the development of home objects and accessories.
Under the art direction of Mr Rainaldi, important names in Italian design start creating storage objects, chairs, mirrors, all characterized by a strong and bold personality. In 2004, Original Ptolomeo, the free-standing bookshelf by Bruno Rainaldi, wins the Compasso d’Oro award. Basic but revolutionary, new and with a great impact, as sudden as an intuition; Ptolomeo soon becomes the company’s best-selling item and an icon of contemporary design.
The third generation joins the company.
Lapo Ciatti goes into family business bringing his entrepreneurial spirit and a background in Industrial Design.
His entry injects a burst of new energy and vitality, the collaboration with Bruno Rainaldi gets stronger and soon Lapo feels that the company needs a new identity. Opinion Ciatti replaces CCR: Lapo Ciatti becomes the CEO, Bruno Rainaldi the Art Director.
Opinion Ciatti as a very personal opinion on design.
Bruno Rainaldi leaves his cultural and expressive heritage to Lapo Ciatti, who leads both the management and the artistic side of the business.
In 2013, Lapo Ciatti presents his first solo collection. The main theme is a shifting balance, deliberately blurred, in between what disrupts tradition and what makes perfect sense of the past.
What emerges is a journey where past and present come together, merging and engaging with one another. Once again Opinion Ciatti anticipates the market trends and starts offering customization, proposing a wide range of colors to personalize its portfolio.
The homeland, Florence and Tuscany, and one of the prime periods of its history: the Middle Age. Roots that become the main source of inspiration for the #FollowYourRoots collections.
Visions and inspirations from a past that becomes contemporary and that turns, in an unexpected déjà vu, symbols of bygone times into objects and accessories that are suitable to life in the third millennium. Tailor-made design solutions and the highest craftsmanship for unique pieces are now ones of the main features of the company.
OC bespoke project starts as a division addressing the corporate world, but not only, to turn imagination into tangible products.
In 2016 Opinion Ciatti pays homage to its homeland, highlighting their unbreakable bond. During the Salone del Mobile, Opinion Ciatti presents its first carpet collection, conceived thanks to the perspectives that some of the most important florentine buildings can give.
In June Opinion Ciatti sets another milestone: OFF Paris Seine opens in Paris, the city’s first floating hotel and the first hospitality project by Opinion Ciatti.
At the Salone del Mobile 2017 in Milan, new projects find their space together with limited editions extensions of existing ranges and special items; for a concept of living that embrace the whole house and beyond. More than 300 finishes and materials available, a fusion of tradition, industrial processes and handcraftsmanship, coupled with a wide choice of product varieties.
The collection presented by Opinion Ciatti at the Salone del Mobile beckons to the world of art, a return to its early years and at the same time facing the most innovative challenges. Among the novelties there is Ptolomeo Vino. Conceived on the drafts left by Bruno Rainaldi, it is the transformation of the famous Original Ptolomeo bookshelf into a scenographic wine rack.
In September the multi-awarded French chef Alain Ducasse opens in Paris his new floating restaurant Ducasse sur Seine. Opinion Ciatti is part of the project, working on the interiors in partnership with Maurizio Galante and Tal Lancman.
Opinion Ciatti is a young and close-knit group always ready to face new challenges. Products and materials, residential and contract projects, trades and partnerships: with passion, care and work there is nothing that Opinion Ciatti can’t deal with.
This is just the beginning. Our journey goes on…
