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.
Find vintage Joaquim Tenreiro furniture on 1stDibs.
Joaquim Tenreiro Attribution, Floor Lamp, Wood, Metal, Acrylic, Brazil, 1960
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in High Point, NC
A black-lacquered wood, beige-lacquered metal and white acrylic floor lamp attributed to Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazil, c. 1960. Moderate staining to metal shade. Dimensions of Lamp wit...
Metal
Floor Lamp Brass Wood, Rupert Nikoll, Austria, 1960
By Stilnovo, J.T. Kalmar, Rupert Nikoll
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
A gorgeous floor light by Rupert Nikoll, Austria, manufactured in midcentury, circa 1960 (late 1950s or early 1960s). The light is very similar to the floor lamp model 'Hase' (engl. rabbit) designed by J.T. Kalmar. A white textile lamp...
Brass
Nybro Armaturfabrik, Floor Lamp, Wood, Metal, Fabric, Sweden, 1940s
By AB Nybrofabriken 1
Located in Stamford, CT
Nybro Armaturfabrik, Swedish Mid-Century Modern, Floor Lamp, Wood, Metal, Fabric, Sweden, 1940s A two light adjustable floor lamp designed and produced by Nybro Armaturfabrik in Swe...
Metal
$954Sale Price|20% Off
H 59.85 in Dm 8.67 in
Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamp, Black Metal & Acrylic, 1959
Located in bari, IT
Typical floor lamp produced in Italy late 1950s black lacquered metal structure illuminating part in plastic fabric of various colors typical of the time.
Metal
Brazilian Mid-century floor lamp, 1950s.
Located in Barcelona, ES
Mid-century floor lamp, manufactured in Brazil, unknown designer, 1950s. This lamp has a solid circular iron base in black varnish, a white iron stem supports a swivel and height ad...
Aluminum, Brass, Iron
Markslöjd, Floor Lamp, Wood, Metal, Fabric, Sweden, 1970s
By Markslöjd
Located in Stamford, CT
Markslöjd, Swedish Mid-Century Modern, Floor Lamp, Wood, Metal, Fabric, Sweden, 1970s A turned wood and metal floor lamp designed and produced by Markslöjd in Sweden c. 1970s. This ...
Metal
Kalmar Floor Lamp 'Micheline', Brass Tripod Black Metal, 1960
By J.T. Kalmar
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
A floor lamp model 'Micheline' (model no. 2092) by J.T. Kalmar, Vienna, Austria, manufactured in midcentury, circa 1960 (late 1950s and early 1960s). It is made of a nice mixture of colors and materials: a polished tripod brass base, a blackened metal stand, and white lamp shade. The shade has been renewed on base of the original one. A custom made lamp...
Metal, Brass
Red Acrylic Shade Vintage 1960s Floor Lamp
By Stilnovo
Located in Saint-Ouen, IDF
Italian vintage floor lamp in the taste of the reknown famous mid century brands like Stilnovo or Arredoluce, this piece is made of a cast iron base and stem with painted metal accen...
Metal
1960s Modern Wood Tripod Floor Lamp
By Stilnovo
Located in Chula Vista, CA
1960s Modern Wood Tripod Floor Lamp attributed Stilnovo unmarked 45 x 18.5 diameter Preowned original vintage condition. No shade is included. Refer to images provided.
Metal
QisDesign Coral Ball Floor Lamp in Orange Acrylic & Metal
Located in Linkebeek, BE
"Coral Ball" Orange Floor Lamp - QisDesign Contemporary modern - Seventies Style Measures : 50xØ32cm H:167cm Materials : Acrylic - Plastic - Metal - Steel Weight : 35kg LED lighting
Metal, Steel
French 1960's 6-Light Brass & Painted Metal Floor Lamp
Located in North Miami, FL
This stunning 6-light floor lamp in brass and black metal with newly restored custom shades in conical design. Beautiful vintage piece in clean vintage condition and newly rewired. ...
Metal, Brass
$3,600
H 57.25 in W 26 in D 11 in
Markslöjd Attribution, Floor Lamp, Stained Wood, Fabric, Sweden, 1970s
By Markslöjd
Located in Stamford, CT
Markslöjd Attribution, Swedish Mid-Century Modern, Floor Lamp, Stained Wood, Fabric, Sweden, 1970s A dark stained wood, likely beech, and floral fabric curved floor lamp attributed ...
Wood
1960s Excello Industrial Metal Floor Lamp Wood Wrap Mexico
By Eugenio Escudero
Located in Chula Vista, CA
Floor lamp 1960s Industrial Modern Mexican vintage metal floor lamp in a dynamic Wood Wrap design. Maker Stamped EXCELLO. 61 tall x 13 diameter inches Design features four exposed bulbs...
Metal
Mid Century Standing Lamp by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazil, 1960s
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in Utrecht, NL
This mid century modern lamp by Joaquim Tenreiro has a slender, elegant appearance with two light sources covered by acryl cones that give a pleasant soft light. Tenreiro, who did no...
Acrylic, Wood