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Forma

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. 

Find vintage Forma seating, tables and storage pieces for sale on 1stDibs.

Average Sold Price
$3,500
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Brazilian Lounge Chair Martin Eisler & Carlo Hauner - "Costela" Forma, 1950s
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Forma
Located in Rosendahl, DE
This rare Costela Lounge Chair by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, produced by Forma in the 1950s, features solid wood ribs paired with a vintage leopard-patterned teddy fabric. A tru...
Category

Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Forma

Materials

Steel

Record Player Cabinet by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, 1955, Mid-Century
By Carlo Hauner, Martin Eisler, Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Forma
Located in New York, NY
This Caviuna Record Player was produced by Forma S.A. Móveis e Objetos de Arte in the 1950s, whose designs were made by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler. This typology was part of the storage furniture from the period, appearing in several interior projects published in the most known design and lifestyle magazines. It was part of modular furniture, commonly assembled with shelves, flower boxes, and bar compartments. Extraordinarily complex and hand-crafted, the wood pieces produced by Forma Móveis e Objetos de Arte in Brazil in the 1950s have unique construction details, very distinctive of any production of the time in Brazil. This Record Player is composed of two hanging doors...
Category

1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma

Materials

Hardwood

Martin Eisler Carlo Hauner, Lounge Chairs, Rattan, Steel, Forma, Brazil, c. 1955
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Forma
Located in High Point, NC
A pair of rattan and steel lounge chairs designed by Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner and produced by Forma, Brazil, c. 1955.
Category

1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma

Materials

Steel

Carlo Hauner Headboard, c. 1950 Forma Edition
By Forma, Carlo Hauner
Located in PARIS, FR
Made of Caviuna wood, with a matching veneer and a delicate cane, this piece combines the robustness of the wood with the delicacy of the cane. The generous dimensions of 82 x 257 x ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Forma

Materials

Straw, Laminate, Hardwood

Carlo Hauner Headboard, c. 1950 Forma Edition
Carlo Hauner Headboard, c. 1950 Forma Edition
H 32.29 in W 101.19 in D 15.75 in
Brazilian Design Costela Lounge Chairs by Hauner & Eisler for Forma, 1950s
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Forma
Located in Renens, CH
The Costela (Rib) chairs and sofas by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler became an instant success after their introduction in the Brazilian market, and it wasn’t for long that productio...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma

Materials

Metal

Mid-Century Modern Slatted Bench from Forma Manufacture, Brazil, 1970s
By Forma
Located in Deerfield Beach, FL
Slatted bench produced in Brazil in the 1970s by Forma Manufacture. This beautiful piece's seating is composed of regularly arranged solid Brazilian hardwood slats, finished with n...
Category

1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma

Materials

Wood

Brazilian Modern Bar in Rosewood and White Finish, by Forma, 1960s, Brazil
By Forma
Located in New York, NY
Available today, this Mid-Century Modern Bar in Rosewood, Brass Keys and White finish made in Brazil during the sixties is absolutely magnificent! This gorgeous bar is made in nav...
Category

1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma

Materials

Iron

Costela Lounge chairs by Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner for Forma, 1950s
By Forma, Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in bruxelles, BE
2 Costela lounge chairs in wood, metal legs and curly fabric cushions by Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner. Seat height: 48 cm. Wear due to time and age of the lounge chairs.
Category

1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma

Materials

Metal

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Forma Sale Prices

Sold DateSold PriceCategoryMaterialCreation Year
2024$3,500Sofa Tables, Coffee and Cocktail TablesWoodcirca 1960 circa
$3,500
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months
$3,500-$3,500
Sold price range of items in the past 12 months

Creators Similar to Forma

Forma furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Forma furniture 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 furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Forma were created in the mid-century modern style in south america during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Mòveis Artisticos Z, Liceu de Artes e Ofícios, and Branco & Preto. Prices for Forma furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,800 and can go as high as $62,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $10,048.

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