Olivari has been manufacturing its handles in Italy, in Borgomanero, in its own factory, since 1911
Olivari: brass handles made in Italy since 1911
AboutOlivari
A family house from Borgomanero
Founded in 1911 in Borgomanero (province of Novara) under the name Fonderia e Torneria B. Olivari, the house passed in 1926, upon the death of Battista Olivari, to his widow Antonietta Ramelli. Still family-owned, Olivari B. S.p.A. is listed in the Italian Register of Historic Companies. Its catalogue covers door and window handles, latches, rotating or fixed knobs and matching accessories.
Brass, from forging to laser marking
Handles, knobs and pull bars are made exclusively from brass bar, a certified and graded copper-zinc alloy, shaped by hot forging or machining. The eight steps, from forging to laser marking, all take place in the single factory in Borgomanero: the entire process is Italian, hence the designation "Made in Olivari, Italy".
Measured and guaranteed finishes
On its chrome-plated products, Olivari reports more than 1,000 hours of salt spray resistance and 800 micro-Vickers surface hardness. The PVD Superfinish surface treatment, vacuum metallisation carried out in-house since 2004, triples this hardness: guaranteed for thirty years, laser-marked OLIVARI, it is recommended for seaside locations and high-traffic areas. Its Anthracite variant, a very dark grey with a metallic sheen, covers twenty-nine models guaranteed for ten years, including Conca, Royal and Total Twist. Since 2005, the BIOCHROME coating has replaced hexavalent chrome with trivalent chrome of negligible environmental impact, under the BIO label.
The Olivari finish codes
Each reference can be read from its code: ZL polished gold, NS satin nickel, IS satin stainless steel and US satin anthracite in Superfinish, EL polished biochrome, CR polished chrome, CO matt chrome, CA polished and matt chrome, LU polished brass, SA satin brass, LT polished and satin brass. Handles are mounted on round or square escutcheons, for modern and minimalist doors. Each window handle can be fitted with an anti-burglary button that blocks rotation from both outside and inside and serves as a child safety lock.
A catalogue designed by architects
From the 1930s onwards, Olivari had its models designed by architects, beginning with Marcello Piacentini and Gio Ponti; more than seventy designers have followed, including Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel, Dominique Perrault and Patricia Urquiola. The Guilloché collection was born from the research of Studio Olivari. Production is certified UNI EN ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, with a LAPI fire resistance attestation of more than sixty minutes (EN 1634-2).
Distributed by Millapoignees
Millapoignees is a partner of Olivari and distributes its products in France. We visit its factory in Borgomanero to see how the handles are made there. Our advisers check every order to ensure that the finishes match between the handle, its escutcheon and its accessories.
