Forma Furniture
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.
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Iron
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Hardwood
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Forma Furniture
Straw, Laminate, Hardwood
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Steel
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Glass, Wood
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Forma Furniture
Iron
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Forma Furniture
Velvet, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Forma Furniture
Aluminum
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Glass, Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Teak
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Bamboo, Cane, Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Glass, Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Metal
1950s Italian Vintage Forma Furniture
Metal
Early 2000s Forma Furniture
Marble
1950s Brazilian Vintage Forma Furniture
Glass, Rosewood
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Iron
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Wood, Glass
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Wood
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Hardwood, Velvet
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Forma Furniture
Cane, Glass, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Forma Furniture
Brass, Wrought Iron
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Metal
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Brass
20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Forma Furniture
Metal
1910s American Industrial Vintage Forma Furniture
Metal
1950s English Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Metal, Brass
19th Century Unknown Empire Antique Forma Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Forma Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Teak
1960s Italian Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Metal
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Fabric, Hardwood
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Glass, Wood, Hardwood
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Forma Furniture
Glass, Nutwood
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Wood
19th Century Dutch Antique Forma Furniture
Bronze
18th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Antique Forma Furniture
Hardwood
1890s English Antique Forma Furniture
Mahogany
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Metal
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Wood
1960s Vintage Forma Furniture
Fabric, Imbuia
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Steel
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Glass, Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Wood, Glass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Wood, Glass
1960s Vintage Forma Furniture
Glass, Teak
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Wood, Glass, Teak
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Metal
20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Forma Furniture
Rosewood
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Forma Furniture
Rosewood