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.
Mid-Century Modern Sofa by Forma, White Bouclé, Caviúna Legs, 1960s
By Forma
Located in New York, NY
Manufactured by Forma in the 1960s, this sofa reflects the studio’s commitment to refined modern forms and high-quality materials during a formative period of Brazilian mid-century d...
Fabric, Hardwood
$22,722Sale Price / set|40% Off
Martin Eisler & Carlo Hauner Modern Sofa & Armchairs Lounge Set, 1950s
By Forma, Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in Whitstable, GB
Carlo Hauner & Martin Eisler midcentury sofa and armchairs; 1950s Sofa designed for their manufacturing company, Forma around 1955. This model is an icon of Brazilian midcentury design and was used to illustrate some advertisements for Forma in the 1950s. We offer the set of sofa and matching armchairs. They are stunning together. The set has been newly reupholstered in beautiful blue velvet, feet in imbuia wood, lacquered finish. Sofa Dimensions: H28.35, W76.78, D30.32 in H72, W195, D77 cm Armchairs Dimenions: H 28.35, W30.32, D30.32 in H72, W77, D77 cm The creative duo were the leading designers behind the Brazilian furniture company Forma, and produced many celebrated pieces of Brazilian midcentury design. Martin Eisler (1913-1977) was born in Vienna, and studied architecture in his country. Eisler left Europe in 1938 due to the rise of fascist regimes. He first lived in Buenos Aires, where he settled and worked as an architect and designer. There here...
Velvet, Hardwood
$17,535
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
$40,600
H 29.3 in W 28.35 in D 31.5 in
Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner "Costela" Lounge Chair, Brazil, 1953
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in New York, NY
The Costela armchair is an iconic Brazilian Mid-Century Modern piece. It was designed by Martin Eisler (1913 - 1977) in 1953 and manufactured by the c...
Steel
$16,800
H 31.03 in W 26.78 in D 29.73 in
Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner "Costela" Lounge Chair, Midcentury Brazil, 1953
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in New York, NY
The Costela armchair is an iconic Brazilian Mid-Century Modern piece. It was designed by Martin Eisler (1913 - 1977) in 1953 and manufactured by the companies Móveis Artesanal and Fo...
Fabric, Hardwood
$35,000 / set
H 27.16 in W 30.31 in D 29.52 in
Rare Forma armchairs by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, 1955
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in São Paulo, BR
This particular piece showcases a rare design crafted by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler for Forma in 1955. Though Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler are primarily known for their well-s...
Wood
Swedish Mid-Century Sofa with Structural Legs, Sweden 1960s
Located in Utrecht, NL
Scandinavian style has a long, well-established history, traditionally marked by simplicity, bright whites, natural wood tones, minimal folk style ornamentation, and colour washed fu...
Fabric, Wood
Mid Century Modern 1960s Sofa by Viko Baumritter
By Viko Baumritter
Located in New York, NY
This floating 1960s sofa was manufactured by Viko Baumritter , an American furniture Company that later became Ethan Allen. The sofa has a metal frame and metal splay legs with a fau...
Metal
$18,000
H 32.68 in W 51.19 in D 26.38 in
"Concha" Sofa by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Modern Brazilian Design, 1950s
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, modern Brazilian sofa, iron, and velvet. Brazil, circa 1950s. Shell or "Concha" sofa is made of iron and recently reupholstered in yellow velvet by the experienced craftsmen in our team. The upholstery was chosen considering the contemporary proposal of the piece. The sofa features a comfortable seat, clean design, and freedom of user movements and is constructed in a frame with metal rods elegantly positioned to give strength to the piece, a common trait of designers. The buttons velvet coated between seat and backs were used, by the designers, for an excellent velvet finish, and the restoration proposal was to maintain them. Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner were the primary designers for the iconic Brazilian furniture...
Iron
$3,250
H 30 in W 21.3 in D 15.7 in
Armchair in Metal and Wood with ebony finish, Carlo Hauner & Martin Eisler, 1950
By Carlo Hauner, Forma
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler for their company Forma, this armchair reflects a pivotal moment in Brazilian modernism during the country’s mid-century industrial expansi...
Metal, Iron
$5,800
H 31 in W 28 in D 30 in
Carlo Hauner & Martin Eisler, Lounge Chair, Iron, Rattan, Brazil, 1950s
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in High Point, NC
An iron and rattan lounge chair designed by Carlo Hauner & Martin Eisler and produced by Forma S.A., Brazil, 1950s. Heavy oxidation to metal legs. Overall Dimensions (inches): 31” ...
Iron
$13,642 / item
H 31.5 in W 94.49 in D 36.23 in
Mid-Century Modern Beijinho Sofa, DEDAR White Boucle, Handmade by Greenapple
By Dedar, Greenapple
Located in Lisboa, PT
Beijinho 3-seat sofa, Contemporary Collection, Handcrafted in Portugal - Europe by Greenapple. The Beijinho sofa seamlessly combines the soft texture of...
Brass
Mid-Century Modern Sofa by Joaquim Tenreiro, 1960s
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in San Francisco, CA
Highly desirable Brazilian mid 20th century rosewood four-seat sofa with upholstered cushions Manufactured by Tenreiro Moveis e Decoraçaos Brazil, 1960s Reupholstered some years ago ...
Upholstery, Rosewood
$36,400
H 33.47 in W 25.2 in D 29.53 in
Mid-Century Modern Single Armchair by Carlo Hauner & Martin Eisler, 1955
By Carlo Hauner, Martin Eisler, Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in New York, NY
This fabulous armchair was designed by Martin Eisler and produced by Forma S.A. Móveis e Objetos de Arte in 1955. Featuring a slender iron structure with brass tips, the piece is com...
Iron