Campana Brothers Armchairs
The Campana Brothers were among Brazil’s foremost contemporary furniture designers. Inspired by their country’s vernacular culture, Humberto and Fernando Campana (b. 1953; 1961–2022) combined everyday objects in unexpected ways — often waste materials like rope, cardboard, plastic tubing, and aluminum wire — to make their singular chairs, decor, lighting and other items. Their designs have been manufactured by such companies as Alessi, Swarovski and Cappellini. And they received numerous honors, including being named Designer of the Year both at Design Miami in 2008, and by Maison & Objet in Paris in 2012.
Humberto Campana was born in Rio Claro in 1953 and earned a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of São Paulo. Fernando was born in 1961 in Brotas, and graduated from the São Paulo School of Fine Arts with a bachelor’s degree in architecture.
The Campana brothers started working together in 1983, crafting furniture using their signature method of adaptive reuse. Their pieces frequently refer to Brazilian social and cultural traditions and entities. Among these are the country’s favelas, or shantytowns, that have grown up around major cities. An homage to the resourcefulness with which the residents of São Paulo’s favelas make use of the materials at hand, repurposing cast-off objects in ingenious designs and constructions, their Favela armchair is made of cast-off strips of wood (the first one was made from discarded slats from a fruit market), which are glued and nailed together seemingly at random. The end result, however, is a compact, solid and well-proportioned chair.
By 1997, some of the Campanas’ pieces were being produced and sold in Italy, including the Edra Vermelha armchair, constructed of cord handwoven around a steel frame. In 1998, the brothers became the first Brazilian designers to have their work exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Today their furniture is included in MoMA’s permanent collection and in those of numerous other major institutions, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Vitra Design Museum.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of Campana Brothers armchairs, case pieces and other furniture.
Early 2000s Italian Campana Brothers Armchairs
Metal
Early 2000s Brazilian Post-Modern Campana Brothers Armchairs
Pine
2010s Campana Brothers Armchairs
Sheepskin, Wool, Wood
Early 2000s Campana Brothers Armchairs
Rattan
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Campana Brothers Armchairs
Steel
20th Century American Mission Campana Brothers Armchairs
Wood, Oak
Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Campana Brothers Armchairs
Beech
1950s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Campana Brothers Armchairs
Teak, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Campana Brothers Armchairs
Faux Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Campana Brothers Armchairs
Steel
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Campana Brothers Armchairs
Stainless Steel
1970s Vintage Campana Brothers Armchairs
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Campana Brothers Armchairs
Velvet
20th Century Campana Brothers Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Campana Brothers Armchairs
Cane, Bentwood
1990s Italian Post-Modern Campana Brothers Armchairs
Aluminum, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Campana Brothers Armchairs
Rope
Early 2000s Italian Organic Modern Campana Brothers Armchairs
Leather
Early 2000s Italian Other Campana Brothers Armchairs
Aluminum, Steel
Early 2000s Brazilian Post-Modern Campana Brothers Armchairs
Pine
2010s Campana Brothers Armchairs
Wool, Wood
Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern Campana Brothers Armchairs
Wood
Early 2000s Italian International Style Campana Brothers Armchairs
Steel, Aluminum
Early 2000s Italian Other Campana Brothers Armchairs
Stainless Steel
Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern Campana Brothers Armchairs
Pine
2010s Italian Industrial Campana Brothers Armchairs
Faux Fur, Fur
1990s French Minimalist Campana Brothers Armchairs
Wood