Brasilia Headboard

No other American mid-century furniture line has become as synonymous with a certain type of curvilinear decoration as Broyhill’s Brasilia group. While its revered cabinets, dressers, dining chairs and more were made in the United States, the inspiration for the distinguishing characteristics of vintage Broyhill Brasilia furniture can actually be found in Latin American architecture.

Broyhill Furniture Industries was launched in Lenoir, North Carolina by brothers Thomas H. and James Edgar “Ed” Broyhill. Ed had been working for his brother’s furniture manufacturing company, the Lenoir Furniture Corporation, which produced bedroom furnishings in the 1920s, when a nearby supplier’s factory, Bernhardt Chair Company, burned in a fire.

Ed founded Lenoir Chair Company and expanded its operations while remaining an employee at Lenoir Furniture Corporation. He subsequently partnered with Thomas and together they purchased Harper Furniture Company, a local producer of Colonial Revival-style furniture, in 1929.

By the 1940s, Broyhill Furniture Industries had absorbed more factories and gained footing as a strong competitor of Lenoir’s Kent-Coffey Manufacturing Company and a rebuilt Bernhardt Furniture.

In the mid-1950s, responding to changing tastes and to an appetite for what is now universally known as mid-century modern furnishings, the firm launched its Broyhill Premier line with the Sculptra series. Sculptra pieces featured a square-within-a-square motif and horizontal cat’s-eye-shaped drawer pulls. Later, in 1962, the Broyhill Brasilia furniture group debuted at the Seattle World’s Fair. The collection was heavily inspired by Oscar Niemeyer’s modernist buildings for the eponymous Brazilian capital.

Designed and built by Niemeyer between 1956 and 1960, the modernist architecture of Brasília’s state capitol buildings has since taken on iconic status. The elegant curves of Niemeyer's works — those that characterize the white concrete structures that encase Palácio do Planalto in addition to the fluid inverted arches of the Supreme Federal Court Building — can be seen in the pronounced decorative elements that adorn the Broyhill Brasilia group’s sleek walnut highboy dressers, specifically in their striking brass drawer-pull arches and carved moldings. While considerably popular during the 1960s, the production of the Brasilia line — with its beloved two-tiered bedside tables and tasteful credenzas — was discontinued in 1970.

On 1stDibs, browse vintage mid-century Broyhill Brasilia furniture, such as its walnut dressers, dining chairs, case pieces and more.

No matter what kind of bedroom furniture you prefer — be it lavish, low-key or minimalist — your bedroom will always be your own personal sanctuary. But it didn’t start that way. It wasn’t until around the 19th century that the bedroom became a realm of privacy. For many Europeans in the medieval era, eating, congregating and sleeping all took place in a single room, and later, royalty such as Louis XIV of France worked on legal orders while sitting in his bed, surrounded by members of his court.

Now, we return to our bedrooms for solace, private space and intimacy. We’ve certainly come a long way, and so has our bedroom furniture.

Whether you’re seeking bright or moody, Baroque or mid-century modern, consider the amount of time that will be spent in this space. Don’t choose furnishings you won’t enjoy looking at every day.

The most important piece of bedroom furniture is, not surprisingly, the bed. When shopping for a bed and bed frame, keep the size of your bedroom in mind — you’ll need to navigate your way around the bed during your daily routine. Bed sizes range from twin to king, and there is also the California king. At 76 inches wide and 80 inches long, a king-size bed is approximately 16 inches wider than a queen-size mattress, and your bed frame will probably add two to five inches to each side. (The California king bed is 84 inches long.)

If you’re putting together design ideas for a large bedroom, why not go all out? A king platform bed is low-profile and minimalist — a mattress is placed directly on a simple and solid frame, which offers support without a box spring. A traditional bed sees a mattress rest on a box spring or foundation.

Smaller bedrooms or guest rooms could benefit from something more streamlined, such as a vintage daybed. The important thing is not to choose a bed that is too big for your space. After all, you still need to squeeze in an Italian nightstand and an elegant American of Martinsville dresser.

Headboards can make or break the style of a bedroom. If you are going for a clean and contemporary look, maybe a headboard isn’t the best fit, but if not having a headboard will keep you up at night, there are plenty of options. Rattan headboards are a great choice to top off a casual country theme. Alternately, you can think of the headboard as a statement piece. With maximalism riding high in the design world, bedrooms are getting on board with vibrant upholstered headboards, and an upholstered bed may very well be the one thing you need to pull the entire look of your bedroom furniture together.

Once your bedding is situated, shift your focus to other pieces for the room.

The size of your closet will have an impact on the size and amount of furniture you need. If you have a small closet, for example, a larger dresser is going to come in handy. If you are lucky enough to have a large walk-in closet, you can utilize the extra bedroom space for other pieces, such as an antique or vintage nightstand.

Turn your humdrum bedroom into a dramatic hideaway that you never want to leave — find vintage, new and antique bedroom furniture today on 1stDibs.