Citterio was born in 1950 in the town of Meda in northern Italy. At the age of 18, he already designed a piece of furniture in his father’s workshop and won an award for a cabinet design, and at 22, he opened his own studio—even before completing his architecture studies at the Politecnico di Milano. Between 1987 and 1996, he worked in partnership with Terry Dwan, and later, together with Patricia Viel, established an architecture and design studio now known globally as Citterio-Viel & Partners.

His international practice is based on "comprehensive" experience—from luxury hotels to private bathrooms—and alongside this, he also taught architecture from 2006 to 2016 at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio, Switzerland.

Awards and Recognition
Citterio won the Compasso d'Oro-ADI in 1987 and 1994, and also holds the title of Royal Designer for Industry from the RSA.

Citterio's first collection for AXOR was launched in 2003, inspired by 1930s neoclassicism: monumental in its proportions, yet timeless and sophisticated. It manages to appear clean and precise while simultaneously conveying effortless luxury – with flat surfaces that reflect light, balanced proportions, and elegant geometry that allows it to blend into almost any bathroom atmosphere. The collection achieved global success, particularly in luxury hotels, and has received numerous awards along the way.

Citterio E is defined as the essence of elegance – a sophisticated synthesis of the familiar and the new, the classic and the contemporary, sharp angles and sensual curves. Citterio himself describes it as a fusion of Citterio and Citterio M – retaining the surface of the former and the roundness of the latter, distilling everything into a single continuum of precision, touch, and feel. Within this, there is also a technological breakthrough that enables joystick-style control in compact dimensions, with an intuitive pin handle that feels "sensual" and precise in the palm of the hand.