Percival Lafer Tables
When it comes to mid-century furniture, the innovative work of the Brazilian Modernists has often been overlooked, including the designs of prolific maker Percival Lafer. Lafer studied architecture at São Paulo’s Universidade Mackenzie. After he graduated, his father passed away suddenly, leaving a furniture business that Lafer took over with his brothers.
Taking up the mantle, Lafer made the jump from architecture to furniture design in 1961, putting a focus on thoughtfully designed pieces available at affordable prices. That year, Lafer introduced his supremely popular MP-1 chair, a plush piece of furniture made with iron and wood that he has riffed on throughout his entire career.
The silhouettes of Lafer lounge chairs, armchairs and other seating were distinct from streamlined American and European mid-century modernism, taking on casual, puffed forms thanks to his use of polyurethane layers as padding. He combined such contemporary industrial materials with local natural ones, namely Brazilian hardwoods, which delighted customers around the world as Lafer became one of the country’s leading exporters of furniture.
Lafer has continued to design furniture throughout his career, branching into sofas, tables and lighting. He was at the forefront of mechanical furniture movements, debuting the MP-7 sofa, which could turn into a twin bed, in 1965, the first such piece on the market. One of his most intriguing projects was the MP Lafer, a two-seat fiberglass roadster designed to emulate British sports cars. Some 4,300 units were produced over its 16-year manufacturing run in the ’70s and ’80s, with several ending up in the collections of major car museums.
Still, Lafer’s biggest claim to fame is his seating, which he continues to design, drawing inspiration from modern shapes and local materials. In 2017, a retrospective of his work was organized as part of the São Paulo Design Weekend.
Find vintage Percival Lafer furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Percival Lafer Tables
Marble
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Glass, Rosewood
1970s Brazilian Brutalist Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Laminate, Wood
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Slate
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Smoked Glass, Rosewood
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Smoked Glass, Rosewood
Late 20th Century Brazilian Post-Modern Percival Lafer Tables
Carrara Marble
1970s Brazilian Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Copper, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Percival Lafer Tables
Limestone
20th Century Percival Lafer Tables
Copper
1970s Brazilian Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Copper, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Percival Lafer Tables
Marble
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Jacaranda, Rosewood, Teak
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Slate
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Percival Lafer Tables
Glass, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Percival Lafer Tables
Glass, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Percival Lafer Tables
Marble
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Smoked Glass, Rosewood
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Wood, Glass
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Rosewood, Glass
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Rosewood, Glass
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Glass, Rosewood
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Smoked Glass
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Steel
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Wood, Glass, Smoked Glass
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Marble
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Glass, Rosewood
1970s Brazilian Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Chrome
1970s Brazilian Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Copper, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Percival Lafer Tables
Jacaranda
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Jacaranda
1960s Brazilian Brutalist Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Leather, Rosewood
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Glass, Wood
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Percival Lafer Tables
Iron
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Percival Lafer Tables
Wood
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Smoked Glass, Rosewood
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Wood, Glass
1970s Brazilian Brutalist Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Rosewood, Glass, Walnut
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Smoked Glass, Rosewood
1960s Brazilian Brutalist Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Glass, Wood
1960s Brazilian Brutalist Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Glass, Wood
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Glass, Jacaranda
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Glass, Mahogany
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Rosewood, Glass
20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Percival Lafer Tables
Hardwood, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Central American Modern Percival Lafer Tables
Rosewood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Wood
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Jacaranda
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Wood, Glass
1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Percival Lafer Tables
Rosewood, Jacaranda, Mahogany, Glass
Percival Lafer tables for sale on 1stDibs.
Creators Similar to Percival Lafer
- What is Percival Lafer?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Percival Lafer is a leading contemporary Brazilian furniture designer most famous for his Mid-Century Modern sofas and chairs constructed with hardwood and luxurious leather. Lafer is a pioneer of the Brazilian Modernist movement. On 1stDibs, find authentic Percival Lafer furniture from top sellers.