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.
Pair of "Concha" Armchairs by Carlo Hauner & Martin Eisler, Brasil, 1955
By Forma, Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in Echt, NL
Set of beautiful ‘Concha’ chairs in very good condition. Designed by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler in 1955 Manufactured by Forma Moveis, Brazil The ch...
Metal
Carlo Hauner. Suite of 4 Rattan chairs, c. 1950. Metal and Rattan
By Carlo Hauner, Forma
Located in PARIS, FR
The suite of 4 rattan chairs designed by Carlo Hauner, dating from about 1950, is a superb example of timeless design. Made from rattan and metal, these chairs combine elegance and d...
Metal
$17,290
H 33.08 in W 27.56 in D 33.08 in
Brazilian Lounge Chair Martin Eisler & Carlo Hauner - "Costela" Forma, 1950s
By Forma, Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
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...
Steel
$5,000 / set
H 27 in W 28 in D 28 in
Pair Mid Century Modern Leather sling safari chairs Carlo Hauner Forma Italy
By Carlo Hauner, Forma
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pair Mid Century Modern Leather sling safari chairs designed by Carlo Hauner for Forma Made in Italy. Pair of Brown leather and off white Lacquer painted wood frame low sling safari ...
Leather, Wood, Lacquer
$4,989 / set
H 26.78 in W 27.56 in D 27.56 in
Safari Armchairs by Carlo Hauner for Forma, 1970s, set of 2
By Forma, Carlo Hauner
Located in bruxelles, BE
Pair of cognac leather and wood armchairs by Carlo Hauner. Seat height: 25 cm. Wear due to age and use. FOR SHIPPING, REQUEST US FOR RECEIVE THE BEST PRICE
Leather, Wood
$11,700
H 31.7 in W 18.9 in D 21.97 in
Mid-Century Modern Chair by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, 1950's
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in New York, NY
Crafted from solid Brazilian Caviuna with a cane seat, this elegant chair was produced by Forma S.A. Móveis e Objetos de Arte in the 1950s. The piece exemplifies the refined work a...
Cane, Wood
$40,600
H 29.3 in W 28.35 in D 31.5 in
Mid-Century Modern Costela Armchair by Carlo Hauner & Martin Eisler, 1953
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in New York, NY
The Costela armchair is an important Brazilian Mid-Century Modern piece. It was designed by Martin Eisler in 1953 and manufactured by Forma S.A. Móveis e Objetos de Arte, where he wa...
Steel
Carlo Hauner, Lounge Chair, Iron, Fabric, Brazil, 1950s
By Carlo Hauner
Located in High Point, NC
A black-painted iron and grey fabric lounge chair designed by Carlo Hauner and produced by Forma S.A. Brazil, 1950s. Moderate oxidation to iron legs. Fabric in fair condition, likel...
Iron
$8,900 / set
H 31 in W 27.5 in D 28 in
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. Seat Height (inches): 15" All items ship from High Poin...
Steel
$27,300 / set
H 31.31 in W 26.37 in D 29.13 in
Mid-Century Modern Pair of Concha Armchairs by Carlo Hauner & Martin Eisler 1953
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in New York, NY
Concha armchair is one of the most important pieces designed by Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner. The armchair was created in 1953 and produced by Móveis Artesanal and later by Forma S...
Iron
$11,023
H 29.14 in W 27.56 in D 30.71 in
Martin Eisler & Carlo Hauner Brazilian "Concha" Armchair Burnt Sunset Red
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in Barcelona, ES
Martin Eisler (1913-1977) & Carlo Hauner (1927-1997) Armchair model “Shell” Manufactured by Forma Moveis Brazil, 1950 Iron structure, fabric upholstery Measurements 70 cm x 78 cm x 74h cm. 28 in x 27,5 in x 31h in. Literature Brasilian modern: The rediscovery of twentieth-century Brazilian furniture. Aric Chen. Brasil, 2016. Pag 217,128 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 50s and 60s 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...
Iron
Carlo Hauner, Lounge Chairs, Wood, Velvet, Brazil, 1950s
By Carlo Hauner
Located in High Point, NC
A pair of blue velvet lounge chairs designed by Carlo Hauner and produced by Forma, Brazil, c. 1950s. Wear consistent with age and use. Reupholstered at some point in recent histo...
Velvet, Wood
$6,500
H 31.3 in W 27.96 in D 30.32 in
Brazilian Modern Rocking Chair in Metal & Wicker by Carlo Hauner, c. 1950s
By Carlo Hauner
Located in New York, NY
A refined study in movement and line, this rocking chair by Carlo Hauner captures the designer’s enduring pursuit of structural lightness and organic continuity. Conceived as a singl...
Iron
Carlo Hauner Martin Eisler Concha Lounge Chair, Brazil, 1950
By Carlo Hauner, Martin Eisler
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Stunning and comfortable ‘Concha’ (shell) lounge chair designed by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler and manufactured by Forma Moveis, Brazil 1950. This chair has a solid steel structur...
Metal
Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler Wooden Costela Chairs for Forma
By Carlo Hauner, Martin Eisler, Forma
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Costela chairs designed by Carlo Hauner & Martin Eisler for Forma (Brazil, 1950). Seating with a structure in lacquered iron and solid wood. Two chairs are available.
Iron
Sold
H 31.89 in W 27.56 in D 34.45 in
Pair of Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner Costela Lounge Chairs, Italy, 1950s
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Forma
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
A superb pair of original Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner Costela lounge chairs, Italy, 1950s. Upholstery options available.
Iron
Pair of "Costela" Chairs by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler for Forma
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Forma
Located in New York, NY
Pair of "Costela" chairs by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler for Forma. Curved rosewood slats embrace the newly upholstered wool cushions and are supported by the original coated ste...
Steel