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.
Mid-Century Modern Round Coffee table, by Susi Aczel and Martin Eisler, 1953.
By Martin Eisler, Forma Brazil
Located in New York, NY
This round coffee table in Caviúna was designed by Martin Eisler (1913-1977) and Susi Aczel (1931-) for Forma S.A. Móveis e Objetos de Arte. The piece refers to a furniture typology ...
Glass, Wood, Hardwood
Mid-Century Modern Round Coffee table, by Susi Aczel and Martin Eisler, 1953.
By Martin Eisler, Forma Brazil
Located in New York, NY
A round coffee table in Caviúna designed by Martin Eisler and Susi Aczel for Forma S.A. Móveis e Objetos de Arte. The piece refers to a furniture typology common in the mid-century a...
Glass, Wood, Hardwood
Round Coffee Table by Thonet
By August Thonet, Thonet
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Round coffee table by Thonet professionally stained and repolished.
Bentwood
$13,416 / item
H 13.78 in W 59.06 in D 47.25 in
Mid-Century Modern Landscape Coffee Table Calacatta Marble Handmade Greenapple
By Greenapple
Located in Lisboa, PT
Mid-Century Modern Landscape Coffee Table, Contemporary Collection, Handcrafted in Portugal - Europe by Greenapple. Designed by Rute Martins fo...
Marble, Onyx, Travertine, Brass, Stainless Steel
$4,500
H 15.75 in W 45.28 in D 21.26 in
Don Shoemaker Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table with Leather Top
By Don S. Shoemaker
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
We offer this fantastic coffee table made in pieces of solid cocobolo wood with leather top designed by Don Shoemaker for Señal S.A., circa 1960 About Don Shoemaker: Coming from an affluent family, Don was originally from Nebraska. During the 1930s he studied at the fine Arts Institute of Chicago thinking to become a painter. Visiting Mexico for his honeymoon he fell in love with the country and he finally decided to move to Mexico in the late 1940s. He lived for a while and painted in San Miguel Allende, Guanajuato, but finally he settled down in a little uphill town called Santa María de Guido, overseeing the city of Morelia, in the state of Michoacan, Mexico. Don began the manufacture of his furniture in tropical precious woods and other wood products. What started as a little factory in the late 1950s called SEÑAL, S.A., grew to the point where Don employed more than a hundred skilled craftsmen. Soon Shoemaker became an important milestone of the economic and cultural life of his adopted home. SEÑAL, S.A. brought great wealth and economical boost to the village and Don was well known for his good heart and charity projects. Don S. Shoemaker delivered furniture pieces in to his showrooms in Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston and large cities in Mexico. His designs were very much appreciated by wealthy Mexican families...
Cocobolo
Mid-Century Modern Glass Top Coffee Table
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A beautiful vintage modern propeller shaped metal base and a thick round glass top is sure to make an impression in any modern interior. An elegant design that boasts a tripod base w...
Metal
$2,810
H 12.41 in Dm 35.44 in
Mid-Century Modern Leather and Wood Circular Coffee Table by Angel I. Pazmino
By Muebles De Estilo
Located in London, GB
Rare Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table by Ángel I. Pazmiño – Ecuador, 1960s The work of Ecuadorian designer Ángel I. Pazmiño has been internationally recognized since the 1960s, when ...
Metal
$13,416
H 19.3 in Dm 23.63 in
Martin Eisler & Carlo Hauner Round Brazilian Wood and Glass Coffee Table
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Forma Brazil
Located in Barcelona, ES
Martin Eisler (1913-1977) & Carlo Hauner (1927-1997) Coffee table Manufactured by Forma Moveis Brazil, 1950s Ebonized wood, glass top Midcentury design Brazilian coffee table. Measurements 60 cm diameter x 49 height cm. 23.50 in diameter x 19.3 height in. Literature Brazil Modern, the rediscovery of 20th century Brazilian furniture – Aric Chen, 2016. Martin Eisler (Vienna, Austria, 1913 - São Paulo, Brazil, 1977), was an architect and furniture designer. He was part of a group of European architects and designers who left Europe during the chaos of the Second World War and went to live and work in Brazil. Eisler stood out amongst this group of creatives, his work was at the forefront of modern furniture design in Brazil which flourished through the 1950s and 1960s in the region. The work of Martin Eisler in partnership with Carlo Hauner (1927-1996) was of particular significance. Eisler left Europe in 1938 due to the rise of fascist regimes. He first lived in Argentina, where he was settled and worked as an architect, set designer and interior designer, he opened up an interior design firm Interieur Forma. In 1940, he married Rosl Wolf, the daughter of German immigrants. Born in Brescia in 1927, Carlo Hauner studied technical drawing and drawing at the Brera Academy in Milan, Italy. In 1948 he successfully participated in the Venice Biennale after which he moved to Brazil, where he dedicated himself to the design of textile, ceramics, furniture and architecture. In only a very short time he founded a furniture production company and purchased a factory from Lina Bo Bardi and her husband Pietro Bardi, renaming it Móveis Artesanal. In 1953 Hauner met Martin Eisler, who was looking for help to produce furniture for the home of his brother-in-law, Ernesto Wolf. Eisler reached out to Hauner and the rest is history. The two men connected and with Wolf’s financial backing, they opened Galeria Artesanal (a store for their company Móveis Artesenal) on a busy street in São Paulo. Being highly ambitious and with an eye on the international market as well as the upcoming office market, Móvies Artesanal later changed into Forma. Along with Oca, Forma became one of the biggest names in Brazilian furniture production. Even managing to attract an exclusive license to sell Knoll furniture, bringing big names in international design such as Mies Van Der Rohe, Charles Eames and Harry Bertoia to the Brazilian furniture market. Hauner and Eisler’s designs are characterized by the use of Brazilian woods, thin tubular frames and a range from furniture, to ceramics and textiles. Some of their most famous designs are the “rib” lounge chair...
Glass, Wood
$6,800
H 19 in Dm 48 in
Gibbings for Widdicomb Mid-Century Modern Round Walnut Coffee Table Tapered Legs
By Widdicomb Furniture Co., T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Gibbings for Widdicomb Mid-Century Modern round walnut coffee table tapered legs.
Walnut
Round Wheat Bamboo Sheaf Base Coffee Table Mid-Century Modern McGuire
By McGuire
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Mid-Century Modern white wash finish bamboo sheaf base coffee table by McGuire.
Bamboo
$9,916
H 13.78 in W 70.87 in D 49.61 in
Mid-Century Modern Infinity Marble Coffee Table, Green Antiqua, by Greenapple
By GF Modern, Greenapple
Located in Lisboa, PT
Mid-Century Modern Infinity Marble Coffee Table, Modern Collection, Handcrafted in Portugal - Europe by GF Modern. The Infinity marble coffee table reflects the passage of time in an endless gaze, captivating attention with every encounter. Featuring a petal-shaped tabletop handcrafted by our master artisans, its sculptural silhouette evokes a sense of movement and elegance. A true statement piece, the Infinity marble coffee table brings sophistication and artistic allure to contemporary interiors. Designed by Rute Martins, Greenapple's Creative Director. The Infinity Coffee Table...
Onyx, Marble, Carrara Marble, Travertine, Brass, Stainless Steel, Gold Leaf
Mid-Century Modern Square Travertine Coffee Table
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Mid century Italian modern 40" square travertine coffee table.
Travertine
$6,000
H 14.97 in W 47.64 in D 18.9 in
Giuseppe Scapinelli. Mid-Century Modern "Spider" Coffee Table in Wood
By Giuseppe Scapinelli
Located in Sao Paulo, SP
Giuseppe Scapinelli. "Spider" coffee table made of solid caviuna wood with glass top. This Brazilian modern coffee table represent the approximation of Scapinelli with biomorphism, T...
Wood
Mid-Century Modern Square Glass and Brass Coffee Table
By Pace Collection
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Mid-Century Modern glass coffee table by Pace Collection.
Brass