Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Brazilian, Portuguese, 1906-1992
The Portugese-born furniture designer Joaquim Tenreiro was a pioneer of modernism in Brazil, where his work paved the way for the successes of such mid-20th-century design greats as Sergio Rodrigues, Jorge Zalszupin, and Lina Bo Bardi, an Italian-Brazilian architect whose futuristic São Paulo buildings are only part of her legacy.
Tenreiro’s vintage tables, chairs and storage cabinets are known for their simplicity of line and an elegance that is enhanced by the use of richly grained South American hardwoods such as jacaranda and imbuia.
Tenreiro’s father and grandfather were both master woodworkers, under whom he trained in the craft. He had artistic leanings and in the late 1920s enrolled as a university student at the School of Arts and Crafts in Rio de Janeiro, where he joined a group of upstart modernists protesting the staid, retrograde curriculum at the college. At the time, Brazil was culturally mired in a 19th-century mindset that was reflected in an upper-class preference for academic painting and reproduction furnishings in antique European styles. But the progressive spirit that Tenreiro and his colleagues fostered slowly gained force.
With the terms “lightness” and “functionality” as his bywords, Tenreiro opened a furniture-design business in 1943, where one of his first clients was the legendary architect Oscar Niemeyer. The arrival of Brazil’s first democratically elected government, in 1945, lent modernism official sanction, which culminated in the construction of the new capital, Brasília. Tenreiro eventually stepped away from design in the late 1960s to devote his time to sculpture and painting.
To appreciate how revolutionary Tenreiro’s work seemed, one must imagine the heavy, ornately carved, deeply varnished furniture that was the standard for top-end Brazilian interior design in the 1930s. Tenreiro’s chairs and sofas employed slender, softly angular frames that were only lightly stained to highlight the grains of the local woods. He preferred chairs and chaises with caned seats and backrests that “breathe” in the tropical climate, and as a carpenter and joiner he wanted to show off the beauty of Brazilian wood.
Two versions of a three-legged side chair introduced in 1947 serve as a veritable manifesto for a new age in Brazilian design: Using the stack-lamination technique, Tenreiro bonded together a gently contoured seat made of alternating layers of different-colored native woods to produce a magnificent stripe effect. These chairs, like all Tenreiro works, demonstrate the enduring power of simple design and superb construction — with a teaspoon of flair.
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Creator: Joaquim Tenreiro
Dealer: Bossa Furniture
Rosewood Desk by Joaquim Tenreiro, Bloch Editors, 1960s, Brazilian Midcentury
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This exquisitely crafted Rosewood Desk designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) belonged to BLOCH EDITORES S.A. BUILDING, a Brazilian publisher founded in 1952 and closed in 2000, wh...
Category
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Rosewood
Triangular Table with Painted Glass Top, Joaquim Tenreiro, circa 1960, Brazil
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This solid Imbuia table with a painted glass top was designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) in the 1960s and produced by Tenreiro Móveis e Decorações, Tenreiro's first solo store, ...
Category
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Glass, Imbuia
Rosewood Desk by Joaquim Tenreiro, Bloch Editors, Brazilian Midcentury, 1965
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This bloch desk was designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992), the “father” of Brazilian modernism, in 1965. The desk offers an interplay of rosewood tones and its elegance is complem...
Category
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Rosewood
Curved Sofa by Joaquim Tenreiro, 1960s, Midcentury, Brazil
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) designed and produced the Curved Sofa in circa 1960, commercializing it in his company Tenreiro Móveis e Decorações – with stores in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
A wooden frame comprises a shell-shaped piece with soft nubuck leather upholstered padding and cushions. Tenreiro's design choice for the feet contrasts with the curved upholstery, bringing four rectangular legs made of solid Brazilian...
Category
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Leather, Rosewood
Estrutural Coffee Table by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazilian Midcentury, circa 1950
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) designed this round coffee table in 1947 – the same period he created other Estrutural pieces, like the famous dining chairs...
Category
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Rosewood, Glass
Canapé Sofa by Joaquim Tenreiro, Amoreira Wood, Cane, Mid-Century Modern, C.1960
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) is known as the “father” of Brazilian modernism, being one of the pioneers, with a work that reflects a refined coexistence of traditional values and mod...
Category
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Cane, Wood
Solid Caviuna Rectangular Dining Table by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazil, 1960s
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This stunning Caviúna piece was designed by Joaquim Tenreiro and produced in 1968
by Tenreiro Arquitetura e Interiores – located in Rio de Janeiro. Its simple design stands out with ...
Category
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Wood
Rosewood Desk with Painted Glass Top by Joaquim Tenreiro, Bloch Editors, 1960s
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This exquisitely crafted rosewood desk designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) belonged to Bloch Editores S.A. Building, a Brazilian publisher founded in 1952 and closed in 2000, wh...
Category
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Rosewood, Glass
Armchair by Joaquim Tenreiro, Solid Cabreuva, Midcentury, Brazil, 1950s
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
Set with 6 dining chair with a delicately curved seat.
Category
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Leather, Wood
Set of Eight Dining Chairs by Joaquim Tenreiro, Solid Wood and Cane, 1950s
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This set of eight exquisitely crafted Cane chairs in Amendoim Wood, designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) in the 1960s, is a gorgeous example of his mastery of technical and const...
Category
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Cane, Hardwood
Vintage Rocking Chair by Joaquim Tenreiro, 1947, Brazilian Midcentury Design
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This rocking chair was one of the first pieces produced by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) when his Langenbach & Tenreiro store opened in 1947.
Far beyond a designer and artist, Tenreiro was an intellectual and thinker of the Brazilian culture.
The rocking chairs were part of the interior spaces in most Brazilian colonial...
Category
1940s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Rosewood, Leather
Set of Eight Dining Chairs by Joaquim Tenreiro, Rosewood and Cane, 1950s, Brazil
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This set of eight chairs was designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) in the 1950s. These breathtaking chairs are made of solid rosewood, with slatted backs and cane seats.
As wit...
Category
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Cane, Rosewood
Pair of L-Shaped Armchair, Joaquim Tenreiro, 1960s, Midcentury Brazilian Modern
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This pair of armchairs designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) around 1958 is an example of the reductiveness of forms explored by the artist and designer, achieved by using rectangular shapes and no armrests...
Category
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Rosewood, Fabric
Solid Imbuia with Red Glass Top Dining Table by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazil C. 1949
By Langbach & Tenreiro, Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
Restored.
Category
1940s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Glass, Imbuia, Wood
Joaquim Tenreiro Bookshelf, Rosewood Veneers, Brazilian Mid-Century Modern, 1950
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
Original condition.
Category
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Metal
Set of Six Rosewood Estrutural Chairs by Joaquim Tenreiro. Mid Century, Brazil
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
To compose light seats, Tenreiro used thin wooden sticks in some of his chairs. One of these pieces, which became well known, was the Structural Chair...
Category
1940s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Leather, Rosewood
Curva Chair by Joaquim Tenreiro, 1960s, Brazilian Midcentury Design
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This exquisitely crafted rosewood curved chair with stick back designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) in 1961/1962 evokes a refined coexistence of traditional values and modern aes...
Category
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Cane, Rosewood
Iconic Leve Armchair in Pau Marfim, Joaquim Tenreiro, 1942, Midcentury Brazil
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
The Leve armchair is one of the fundamental pieces in Brazilian Modern design history. Designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) in 1942, it is considered...
Category
1940s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Fabric, Rosewood
Bookshelf by Joaquim Tenreiro in Brazilian Rosewood, 1960s, Mid-Century Modern
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This bookshelf was designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) in the 1960s and produced by the company Tenreiro Arquitetura e Interiores.
The piece is made of solid Rosewood and is ...
Category
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Hardwood
Rosewood Desk Brazilian Midcentury Design by Joaquim Tenreiro, 1960s
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
Original condition.
Category
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Wood
Curva Chair by Joaquim Tenreiro, 1960s, Brazilian Midcentury Design
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This exquisitely crafted rosewood curved chair with stick back designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) in 1961/1962 evokes a refined coexistence of traditional values and modern aes...
Category
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Cane, Rosewood
Rosewood Desk by Joaquim Tenreiro, Bloch Editors, 1960s, Brazilian Midcentury
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This exquisitely crafted Rosewood Desk designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) belonged to BLOCH EDITORES S.A. BUILDING, a Brazilian publisher founded in 1952 and closed in 2000, wh...
Category
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Rosewood
Set of 6 Chairs by Joaquim Tenreiro, 1947, Midcentury Design
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This exquisitely crafted chair made of Perobinha-do-campo Wood, designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992), evokes a refined coexistence of traditional values and modern aesthetics. It...
Category
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Leather, Hardwood
Caviuna Table by Joaquim Tenreiro, 1950s, Brazilian Midcentury Design
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This stunning Caviúna piece was designed by Joaquim Tenreiro and produced in 1968 by one of his companies, located in Rio de Janeiro. Its simple design stands out with the subtle det...
Category
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Wood
Set of Four Dining Chairs by Joaquim Tenreiro, Rosewood and Cane, circa 1960
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
These exquisitely crafted dining chairs designed in the 1950s by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992), known as the “father” of Brazilian modernism, are co...
Category
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Rosewood, Cane
Brazilian Hardwood Table by Joaquim Tenreiro, 1947, Midcentury Design
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This exquisitely crafted dining table, designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) in 1947, evokes a refined coexistence of traditional values and modern aesthetics. Its delicate shapes...
Category
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Rosewood, Leather
Rosewood Dining Table with Glass Top, Joaquim Tenreiro, 1947, Midcentury Brazil
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
This exquisitely crafted dining table, designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) in 1947, evokes a refined coexistence of traditional values and modern aesthetics. Its delicate shapes give the impression that the pieces float in the space.
Tenreiro came to see the often heavy, overstuffed pieces that dominated the market as being incompatible with a tropical country like Brazil. He promoted furniture that was formally light, as described in his own words: “Lightness, which has nothing to do with the weight per se, but with grace and functionality in space.”
Our pieces present original stamps of Tenreiro Móveis e Decorações...
Category
1940s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Glass, Hardwood
Solid Pau Marfim Wood Estrutural Table by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazilian Design
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
Restored
Category
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Glass, Wood
Joaquim Tenreiro Dining Chairs, Solid Wood and Fabric, MidCentury, Brazil, 1950s
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
Available in eight units, this set of dining chairs was designed by Joaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) in the 1950s. Much like Tenreiro's other creations, this sense of lightness transcend...
Category
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Fabric, Wood
Rosewood and Cane Chaise Longue, Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazilian Mid-Century Design
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
A prolific and gifted designer, Joaquim Tenreiro (1906–1992) masterfully laid the groundwork for modern living in Brazil through his furniture and interiors. Born in Portugal and tra...
Category
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Mohair, Cane, Rosewood
Manta Solta Sofa, Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazilian Design
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
Radical in concept and precise in execution, the Manta Solta set embodies Joaquim Tenreiro’s disruptive vision for modern furniture design in mid-20th-century Brazil. Crafted in 1955...
Category
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Leather, Hardwood
Manta Solta Armchairs, Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazilian Design
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
Radical in concept and precise in execution, the Manta Solta set embodies Joaquim Tenreiro’s disruptive vision for modern furniture design in mid-20th-century Brazil. Crafted in 1955...
Category
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Joaquim Tenreiro Furniture
Materials
Leather, Hardwood
Joaquim Tenreiro furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Joaquim Tenreiro 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 Joaquim Tenreiro furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Joaquim Tenreiro 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 Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, José Zanine Caldas, and Giuseppe Scapinelli. Prices for Joaquim Tenreiro furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $3,337 and can go as high as $121,466, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $30,000.
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