Campana Brothers Lighting
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 Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Minimalist Campana Brothers Lighting
Stainless Steel
1990s Italian Campana Brothers Lighting
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Campana Brothers Lighting
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Campana Brothers Lighting
Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Campana Brothers Lighting
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Metal
2010s Czech Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Campana Brothers Lighting
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Campana Brothers Lighting
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Campana Brothers Lighting
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Stainless Steel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Stainless Steel
1990s Italian Post-Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Mid-Century Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Metal
2010s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Brass, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Minimalist Campana Brothers Lighting
Brass
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Campana Brothers Lighting
Crystal, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Campana Brothers Lighting
Metal
1960s German Brutalist Vintage Campana Brothers Lighting
Sheet Metal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Campana Brothers Lighting
Aluminum
2010s Mexican Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Brass
1980s French Vintage Campana Brothers Lighting
Agate, Brass
Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Epoxy Resin
1960s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Campana Brothers Lighting
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Aluminum
1990s Italian Post-Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Steel
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Other Campana Brothers Lighting
Aluminum
1990s Italian Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Metal
1990s Italian Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Minimalist Campana Brothers Lighting
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Rattan
2010s Italian Other Campana Brothers Lighting
Aluminum
2010s European Industrial Campana Brothers Lighting
Aluminum
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Iron
1990s Brazilian Modern Campana Brothers Lighting
Metal