1950s Brazilian Stool by Joaquim Tenreiro
About the Item
- Creator:Joaquim Tenreiro (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27.17 in (69 cm)Width: 21.26 in (54 cm)Depth: 12.01 in (30.5 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950-1959
- Condition:Repaired: An area of previous restoration to one corner. Clearly visible in the photos, from above and underneath. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU7049236406262
Joaquim Tenreiro
The Portugese-born furniture designer Joaquim Tenreiro was a pioneer of modernism in Brazil, where his work paved the way for the successes of such mid-20th-century design greats as Sergio Rodrigues, Jorge Zalszupin, and Lina Bo Bardi, an Italian-Brazilian architect whose futuristic São Paulo buildings are only part of her legacy.
Tenreiro’s vintage tables, chairs and storage cabinets are known for their simplicity of line and an elegance that is enhanced by the use of richly grained South American hardwoods such as jacaranda and imbuia.
Tenreiro’s father and grandfather were both master woodworkers, under whom he trained in the craft. He had artistic leanings and in the late 1920s enrolled as a university student at the School of Arts and Crafts in Rio de Janeiro, where he joined a group of upstart modernists protesting the staid, retrograde curriculum at the college. At the time, Brazil was culturally mired in a 19th-century mindset that was reflected in an upper-class preference for academic painting and reproduction furnishings in antique European styles. But the progressive spirit that Tenreiro and his colleagues fostered slowly gained force.
With the terms “lightness” and “functionality” as his bywords, Tenreiro opened a furniture-design business in 1943, where one of his first clients was the legendary architect Oscar Niemeyer. The arrival of Brazil’s first democratically elected government, in 1945, lent modernism official sanction, which culminated in the construction of the new capital, Brasília. Tenreiro eventually stepped away from design in the late 1960s to devote his time to sculpture and painting.
To appreciate how revolutionary Tenreiro’s work seemed, one must imagine the heavy, ornately carved, deeply varnished furniture that was the standard for top-end Brazilian interior design in the 1930s. Tenreiro’s chairs and sofas employed slender, softly angular frames that were only lightly stained to highlight the grains of the local woods. He preferred chairs and chaises with caned seats and backrests that “breathe” in the tropical climate, and as a carpenter and joiner he wanted to show off the beauty of Brazilian wood.
Two versions of a three-legged side chair introduced in 1947 serve as a veritable manifesto for a new age in Brazilian design: Using the stack-lamination technique, Tenreiro bonded together a gently contoured seat made of alternating layers of different-colored native woods to produce a magnificent stripe effect. These chairs, like all Tenreiro works, demonstrate the enduring power of simple design and superb construction — with a teaspoon of flair.
Find vintage Joaquim Tenreiro furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: São Cristóvão, Brazil
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Sérgio Rodrigues for Oca Brazil, 1950s Low StoolBy Sergio RodriguesLocated in London, GBSérgio Rodrigues for Oca Brazil, 1950s Low Stool Three legged low stool in Imbuia wood. Bears Oca burn mark under. Sergio Rodrigues was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1927 and passed ...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsImbuia
- 1950s Brazilian Design Extending Dining Table by Celina DecoraçõesBy Celina DecoracoesLocated in London, GB1950s Brazilian Design Extending Dining Table by Celina Decorações Fold out extension leaf contained within the structure of the table, underneath the table top, which adds 50 cm, making the table 249 cm long. Celina Decorações Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo CELINA ZYLBERBERG...Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsHardwood
- 1950s Armchair Designed by Celina Zilberberg for Celina Decorações, BrazilBy Celina DecoracoesLocated in London, GBBrazilian 1950s lounge chair. Designed by Munis Zilberberg. Manufactured by Celina Decorações. Brown velvet upholstery on solid Jacaranda base. ...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Wood
- 1950s 'Orkidea' 'Orchid' Glass Vase by Timo Sarpaneva for Iittala, FinlandBy Timo Sarpaneva, IittalaLocated in London, GBA 1950s 'Orkidea' (Orchid) Glass Vase by Timo Sarpaneva for Iittala, Finland. Originally designed in 1953, the piece was initially intended as a sculpture, for which the artist wa...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vases
MaterialsGlass
- Set of 5 1950s Art Glass Pieces by Erik Hoglund for Boda, SwedenBy Boda, Erik HöglundLocated in London, GBA Set of 5 Art Glass Pieces designed in 1950s by Erik Hoglund (1932-1998) for the iconic Swedish glass factory Boda. Measures: Rectangular pieces 11 cm wide x 9 cm deep x 3 cm high, circular pieces 7 cm diameter x 3 cm high. Erik Höglund was studied at Konstfack in Stockholm, first decorative painting with Fritz Sjöström, then sculpture with Robert Nilsson and finally graphic design 1951-1952 with Harald Sallberg. Recruited by Erik Rosén, he was an associate designer at the Boda glassworks from 1953 to 1973 and, during this period, transformed Swedish art glass production by introducing new ideas about the appearance of glass products.. While in Boda, he also worked with pine, wrought iron and furniture. Later he also collaborated with other glassworks, such as Pukeberg, Lindshammar and Studioglas Strömbergshyttan. In 1968 he founded the design company Backström & Höglund Design AB together with the glass artist Monica Backström, with the mission to design furniture, household utensils and utensils for the public environment. Höglund was also a member of Vet Hut AB, which was founded in 1971 by ten designers from the Boda glassworks, in addition to the usual work: Erik Höglund, Monica Backström, Ann Wolff...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsGlass
- A 1950s Swedish clear glass with air bubbles bowl by Vicke Lindstrand for KostaBy Vicke Lindstrand, Kosta BodaLocated in London, GBA 1950s Swedish clear glass with air bubbles bowl by Vicke Lindstrand for Kosta. Made from hand-blown glass with air bubbles. The bowl has an undulating rim, which is not perfectly ...Category
Vintage 1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsGlass
- Brazilian Modern 4 Chair Set in Hardwood & Cane, Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazil, 1950sBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in New York, NYAvailable today, this Mid-Century Modern chair set made in Brazilian rosewood and caning designed by Joaquim Tenreiro in Brazil during the fifties is ...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsCane, Hardwood
- Joaquim Tenreiro Dining Chairs, Solid Wood and Fabric, MidCentury, Brazil, 1950sBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in New York, NYAvailable in eight units, this set of dining chairs was designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) in the 1950s. Much like Tenreiro's other creations, this sense of lightness transcend...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Brazilian Modern 4 Chair Set in Hardwood, Cane, Leather, Joaquim Tenreiro 1950sBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in New York, NYAvailable today, this Mid-Century Modern four chair set made in Brazilian Rosewood, Leather and Caning designed by Joaquim Tenreiro in Brazil during the fifties is absolutely magnifi...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Cane, Hardwood
- Lounge Chairs by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazil, 1958By Joaquim TenreiroLocated in PARIS, FRPair of lounge chairs by Joaquim Tenreiro with a slick elegant back seat. The absence of back seat cushion gives lightness and modernity to the traditional chauffeuse structure. Sm...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWool, Fabric
- Set of Eight Dining Chairs by Joaquim Tenreiro, Rosewood and Cane, 1950s, BrazilBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in New York, NYThis set of eight chairs was designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) in the 1950s. These breathtaking chairs are made of solid rosewood, with slatted backs and cane seats. As wit...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsCane, Rosewood
- Curved Sofa by Joaquim Tenreiro, 1960s, Midcentury, BrazilBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in New York, NYJoaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) designed and produced the Curved Sofa in circa 1960, commercializing it in his company Tenreiro Móveis e Decorações – with stores in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. A wooden frame comprises a shell-shaped piece with soft nubuck leather upholstered padding and cushions. Tenreiro's design choice for the feet contrasts with the curved upholstery, bringing four rectangular legs made of solid Brazilian...Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Rosewood