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Midcentury Chest in Hardwood & Chrome by Forma Moveis, 1965 Brazil, Sealed

Name: Midcentury Chest in Hardwood & Chrome by Forma Moveis, 1965 Brazil, Sealed
Brand: Forma Brazil
Price: 8000 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Available today, this Mid-Century Modern Chest in Hardwood, designed by Knoll International and produced by Forma Moveis in Brazil in the 1960s is a showstopper! This Mid-Century Modern gem is made of Brazilian Rosewood, known as Jacaranda, and has four chromed legs, two sliding doors with a leather handle (original), two shelves and four drawers made of solid Rosewood. The Jacaranda has been refinished showcasing colorful veins. Besides the marks of age in the legs the piece is in excellent condition. The manufacture seal is underneath the cupboard. The last pictures showcase the piece in its original state. What a change! Equally as practical as beautiful, these chests will add a touch of midcentury swagger to any home but will also fit into a Modern, Contemporary, or even Eclectic environment. Carlo Hauner (1927-1997) and Martin Eisler (1913-1977) were the primary designers for the iconic Brazilian furniture company Forma. They are most known for well-shaped armchairs made in iron, but the production is far more complex, handcrafted, and extensive. The wood pieces produced by Forma Móveis e Objetos de Arte during 1950 & 1960s in Brazil is highly designed and well-executed. Forma continued its model of serialized production and achieved great success in the diffusion of modern furniture, especially from 1959 onwards when it signed a contract with Knoll International. This partnership was a milestone that brought major names in international design to Brazil: Eero Saarinen, Florence Knoll, Harry Bertoia and Marcel Breuer. Eisler also opened a branch of Forma in Buenos Aires as an architectural, Industrial, and interior design firm with partners Arnold Hakel and Susi Aczel, which is still in business today, and known as Interieur Forma Advertisements. About Brazilian rosewood, also called Jacaranda, is perhaps one of the most beautiful woods in the world. It is regarded as one of the finest tone woods; hard, stiff, and highly resonant with a glass-like ring that sustains; it has a floral scent, like roses, thus the name. However, extensive over logging over the past three centuries has virtually eliminated this tree from the Brazilian forests, so that today it is not supposed to be logged. The only Material that can be sold legally is old stock. By owning a vintage piece made of old Jacaranda, you’re not only getting a beautiful collectible but also helping this species to recuperate.

Creator:

Forma Brazil (Designer)

Dimensions:

Height: 29.1 in (73.92 cm)Width: 37.4 in (95 cm)Depth: 20.5 in (52.07 cm)

Style:

Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Chrome,Hardwood,Leather,Metal,Hand-Painted,Woodwork

Place of Origin:

Brazil

Period:

Mid-20th Century

Date of Manufacture:

1965

Condition:

Refinished. Wear consistent with age and use.

Seller Location:

New York, NY

Reference Number:

Seller: 1041stDibs: LU7095231091502

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Shop All Forma Brazil

Forma Brazil

Forma stands at the forefront of a revival of Brazilian modern furniture. Fashioned from high-grade regionally sourced hardwoods, leather and iron, even Forma's earliest creations have stood the test of time. The company’s alluring mid-century modern works appealed to homeowners at its peak, from the 1950s through the ’70s, and given the broadening interest in Brazilian furniture and the likes of designers such as Sérgio Rodrigues, vintage Forma is making a major comeback today.

Forma began in São Paulo, under the leadership of Italian designer Carlo Hauner and Austrian architect and interior designer Martin Eisler. Hauner studied drawing and technical drawing at the Brera Academy in Milan. After participating in the Venice Biennale, he emigrated to São Paulo, where he established the furniture manufacturer Móveis Artesanal, for which Carlo and Martin — as well as Carlo’s brother Ernesto Hauner — would create a range of pieces for the home.

In 1936, Eisler earned a degree in architecture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where he studied under Oskar Strnad and Clemens Holzmeister. With World War II looming, he left Austria immediately after graduating. He first went to Czechoslovakia, to which some of his family had already fled. In 1938, he moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and opened his interior design firm Interieur Forma.

Eisler relocated to Brazil in the early 1950s, where he met Hauner. At the time, Eisler had been looking for help producing furniture for his brother-in-law, Ernesto Wolf, and contacted Hauner. The two found that they had a shared vision, and with financial help from Wolf, they opened Galeria Artesanal as a storefront for Móveis Artesanal.

Looking to expand into international sales, the duo rebranded the company Forma. Sérgio Rodrigues, who helped launch a branch of Artesanal in Curitiba, was put in charge of interiors at Forma. That company soon became one of the biggest names in Brazilian furniture — it sold its own sculptural rattan lounge chairs, bookcases and other case pieces crafted with rosewood or jacaranda, and Forma was eventually distributing furniture licensed from iconic American manufacturer Knoll, thereby bringing works by noted designers such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Charles Eames and Harry Bertoia to the Brazilian market.

The Forma furniture company continued producing masterfully crafted furniture into the 1970s, until Eisler's death in 1977. Forma folded soon after, but Eisler's company in Argentina, Interieur Forma, is still in business today.

On 1stDibs, explore Forma seating, tables and storage pieces.