Forma Brazil Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brazilian
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.
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Creator: Forma Brazil
Round Coffee table, by Susi Aczel and Martin Eisler, Forma S.A., brazil, 1953.
By Martin Eisler, Forma Brazil
Located in New York, NY
This Round Coffee Table in Caviuna was designed by Martin Eisler (1913-1977) and Susi Aczel (1931-) for Forma S.A. Móveis e Objetos de Arte.
This piece is one of the most iconic pie...
Category
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Brazil Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Materials
Glass, Wood, Hardwood
Coffee Table by Brazilian Branco & Preto, Caviuna Top with Ebonized wood, 1950s
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Forma Brazil, Martin Eisler
Located in New York, NY
This Bar or tea cart is a rare and elegant piece designed by Martin Eisler (1913-1977) in the 1950s and produced by Forma S.A. Móveis e Objetos de Arte.
It presents a solid Rosewood...
Category
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Brazil Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Materials
Wood
Martin Eisler & Carlo Hauner Round Brazilian Wood and Glass Coffee Table
By Forma Brazil, Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
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...
Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Forma Brazil Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Materials
Glass, Wood
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.
Mea...
Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Forma Brazil Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Materials
Glass, Wood
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Forma Brazil coffee and cocktail tables for sale on 1stDibs.
Forma Brazil coffee and cocktail tables are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Forma Brazil coffee and cocktail tables, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original coffee and cocktail tables by Forma Brazil were created in the mid-century modern style in south america during the mid-20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider coffee and cocktail tables by Branco & Preto, Sergio Rodrigues, and Percival Lafer. Prices for Forma Brazil coffee and cocktail tables can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $12,947 and can go as high as $12,947, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $12,947.