Valli

Architect Pasquale Valli and sculptor Palmiro Colombo founded Valli in 1934 in Renate in the province of Monza and Brianza as a company specialised in the production of traditional and classic handles. In 1976, when Carlo Valli joined the company, modern and contemporary design marketed under the Fusital brand was added to the brand’s more classic look. The high-style handles were designed by internationally renowned architects and designers like Gae Aulenti, Cini Boeri, Achille Castiglioni, Antonio Citterio, Dante O. Benini, Matteo Thun, Norman Foster Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid and Yoshimi Kono. The company's two souls, divergent in taste but united in approach, are characterised by attention to industrial processes, experience, research, design, functionality and environmental protection. Since 2008, Valli has become part of the ASSA ABLOY group, an international company operating in the door opening and access control sector, developing its presence on the global market. Valli and Fusital have been chosen for major projects all over the world like the Porsche Design Tower in Miami, the Maserati Dealership in New York, the Aqualina Luxury Resort in Miami, the Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Resort in Dubai, the VIP Lounge at Doha International Airport in Qatar, the Mandarin Oriental in Bodrum, Turkey, City Life and Bosco Verticale in Milan, the Nuvola Congress Center in Rome, the Reichstag Building in Berlin, the Novartis headquarters in Basel.

Valli: a new concept in handles

Since its foundation in the 1930s, Valli sought to develop a new idea of the handle, produced with different materials and forms from traditional ones. The post-war period decreed the brand's success, thanks to significant investments and the highly successful Medicea series designed by Pasquale Valli in 1968 with the intent of restoring aesthetic and expressive dignity to an object that had become a mere functional necessity. While the market was dominated by smooth steel handles, Valli proposed a brass product inspired by the Renaissance and traditional crafts, proving his skill in intercepting consumer needs. That same year, the handle earned the title of "most imitated handle in the world". Today the Valli product range includes door handles, window handles, knobs, pull handles and accessories, most of which are made of brass alloy. They are designed by the Valli Workshop with the collaboration of internationally renowned architectural firms.

The designer handle according to Valli

The names that have worked for Valli designing Fusital handles reflect the best tradition of contemporary design: Eero Aarnio, Ron Arad, Gae Aulenti, Mario Bellini, Dante O. Benini and Luca Gonzo, Cini Boeri, Gabriele&Oscar Buratti, Achille Castiglioni, Pierluigi Cerri, David Chipperfield, Antonio Citterio, Carlo Colombo, Odile Decqq. Benini and Luca Gonzo, Cini Boeri, Gabriele&Oscar Buratti, Achille Castiglioni, Pierluigi Cerri, David Chipperfield, Antonio Citterio, Carlo Colombo, Odile Decq - Benoît Cornette, Droog Design - Ronald Lewerissa, Foster and Partners, Doriana and Massimiliano Fuksas, Frank O. Gehry, Michael Graves, Gregotti Associati, Zaha Hadid, Hans Kollhoff, Vico Magistretti, Angelo Mangiarotti, Richard Meier, Renzo Mongiardino, Jean Nouvel, Fabio Novembre, John Pawson, Aldo Rossi, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Sottsass Associati, Robert Stern, Taller Design Ricardo Bofill, Matteo Thun and Marco Zanuso. All of these architects and designers have made the culture of design and Made-in-Italy craft artistry their hallmark. The Fusital line was founded in 1976 by Carlo Valli, Pasquale's son. He was convinced that, while Italian design was establishing itself and finding its patrons in the industrial sector, it was necessary to introduce the concept of the "designer handle", intended as a small functional sculpture and an integral part of home furnishings. Handles in brass alloy or stainless steel for doors or windows combine contemporary design with the highest technical standards that stand the test of time. Among the latest additions to the Fusital collection are the H 382 Series – CCD Duemilaventi by Hong Kong designer Joe Cheng, founder of the Cheng Chung Design studio. These handles have linear, clean lines with an oriental flavour, distinguished by a circle on the front that becomes a possible element for customisation. The H383 PW Duemilaventuno, with its light, aerodynamic lines, was designed by the US architectural firm Perkins&Will. The H384 CR Duemilaventuno series is a geometric, sculptural collection by the New York architectural firm Cetra Ruddy.