More often than not, vintage mid-century Brazilian furniture designs, with their gleaming wood, soft leathers and inviting shapes, share a sensuous, unique quality that distinguishes them from the more rectilinear output of American and Scandinavian makers of the same era.
Commencing in the 1940s and '50s, a group of architects and designers transformed the local cultural landscape in Brazil, merging the modernist vernacular popular in Europe and the United States with the South American country's traditional techniques and indigenous materials.
Key mid-century influencers on Brazilian furniture design include natives Oscar Niemeyer, Sergio Rodrigues and José Zanine Caldas as well as such European immigrants as Joaquim Tenreiro, Jean Gillon and Jorge Zalszupin. These creators frequently collaborated; for instance, Niemeyer, an internationally acclaimed architect, commissioned many of them to furnish his residential and institutional buildings.
The popularity of Brazilian modern furniture has made household names of these designers and other greats. Their particular brand of modernism is characterized by an émigré point of view (some were Lithuanian, German, Polish, Ukrainian, Portuguese, and Italian), a preference for highly figured indigenous Brazilian woods, a reverence for nature as an inspiration and an atelier or small-production mentality.
Hallmarks of Brazilian mid-century design include smooth, sculptural forms and the use of native woods like rosewood, jacaranda and pequi. The work of designers today exhibits many of the same qualities, though with a marked interest in exploring new materials (witness the Campana Brothers' stuffed-animal chairs) and an emphasis on looking inward rather than to other countries for inspiration.
Find a collection of vintage Brazilian furniture on 1stDibs that includes chairs, sofas, tables and more.
Polished Cast Brass Mino Paper Holder by Studio Orth
Located in Geneve, CH
Polished Cast Brass Mino Paper Holder by Studio Orth Dimensions: W 17 x D 4 x H 5 cm Materials: Cast metal. Finishes: Polished Cast Brass or Polished Cast Aluminum About: Studio Or...
Metal
Arturito Collection, Wood Paperweight Set (5 pieces)
By Luiz Costa e Rodrigo Irffi
Located in Santa Edwiges, MG
ARTURITOS COLLECTION Whether in Tokyo, Denver or Moscow, printing ideas requires organization. Taking chaos out of the box and turning it into facts requires hard work, care, attent...
Wood
Brazilian Hand Engraved Crystal Cubes
Located in Boston, MA
Floral and fauna motifs. One of a kind.
Crystal
Brazilian Mid-Century Jacaranda Paperclip Paperweight Sculpture, 1960s
Located in Miami, FL
Brazilan mid-century paperclip desk or table sculpture from the 1960s. Paperclip is functional.
Metal
Pietrina Checcacci Cast Bronze Fingers Letter Holder with Granite Base
By Pietrina Checcacci
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Cast bronze legs letter holder by Italian-Brazilian artist Pietrina Checcacci. The small weighted object features a patinated bronze set of fingers that are separated to store envelo...
Granite, Bronze
$340 / item
Arturito Collection, Big Wood Paperweight
By Luiz Costa e Rodrigo Irffi
Located in Santa Edwiges, MG
ARTURITOS COLLECTION Whether in Tokyo, Denver or Moscow, printing ideas requires organization. Taking chaos out of the box and turning it into facts requires hard work, care, attent...
Wood
Stunning Vintage Tray / Sculpture Made of Brazilian Rosewood Unknown Author
Located in Sao Paulo, SP
Solid Brazilian rosewood tray, with aluminum details. This peace is a huge vintage tray and also an amazing sculpture of a fish. This is one of...
Wood
$232 / item
Horn 1 Sculpture by Fakasaka Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Horn 1 sculpture by Fakasaka Design Dimensions: W 8 cm D 6 cm H 7 cm Materials: polished bronze. Horn 1 Paper weight / sculpture FAKASAKA is a de...
Bronze
Arturito Collection, Concrete Paperweight Set (5 pieces)
By Luiz Costa e Rodrigo Irffi
Located in Santa Edwiges, MG
ARTURITOS COLLECTION Whether in Tokyo, Denver or Moscow, printing ideas requires organization. Taking chaos out of the box and turning it into facts requires hard work, care, attent...
Concrete
$80
H 2.38 in Dm 2.13 in
Petite Murano Glass Paperweight Flower inside Mid-Century Modern, Italy 1960s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Murano hand blown Italian art glass paper weight. A beautiful nice addition to your desktop. Found at an estate sale in Verona, Italy....
Murano Glass
$500 / set
H 3 in Dm 2 in
Set of two Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Pen Holders in Hardwood, Jupanam, 1960s
Located in New York, NY
This pair of pen holders reflects the restrained utility and material integrity associated with Brazilian modern desk accessories of the mid-twentieth century. Modest in scale yet de...
Hardwood
Italian Design Ghidini 1961 Brass Rabbit Paperweight
By Ghidini 1961
Located in Brescia, IT
This is the latest iconic object designed by Stefano Giovannoni, for Ghidini 1961. An Italian contemporary design factory. Its designers: Campana Brothers, Mendini, Studio Job and mo...
Brass
Contemporary Hand-engraved Aquamarine Sculpture by Ghirò Studio
By Ghirò Studio
Located in Pieve Emanuele, Milano
The "Cactus" Sculpture is not only an elegant and modern piece of furniture but it is also a unique and unrepeatable sculpture. This incredible object has been worked and sculpted...
Glass
$110
H 2.13 in Dm 2.38 in
Petite Murano Glass Paperweight Swirl inside Mid-Century Modern, Italy 1960s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Murano hand blown Italian art glass paper weight. A beautiful nice addition to your desktop. Found at an estate sale in Verona, Italy. Highly decorative and functional in e...
Murano Glass
$1,994Sale Price|30% Off
H 3.94 in W 6.3 in D 3.15 in
Claude Victor Boeltz Gilt Bronze Letter Holder, circa 1970, France.
By Claude Victor Boeltz
Located in Brussels, BE
Claude Victor Boeltz Letter Holder , circa 1970, France. Gilt exploded bronze, metal blade. Dimensions: 16 cm W, 10 cm H, 8 cm D. Boeltz’s "exploded-bronze" pieces, made famous in th...
Bronze
Big Silvered Bronze Vienna Dog Sculpture, Paperweight, 1900s
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
Big silvered bronze Vienna dog sculpture, 1900s. Very good detailed silvered bronze dog sculpture. Perfect as desk paperweight. We have specialized in the ...
Bronze
Vintage Paper Holder Stand With Hand Shaped Clips
Located in Seattle, WA
Possibly Brass, Beautiful Patina Consistent with Age. Intricate Base. Hinge on Bottom is Loose. Dimensions. 4 Diameter ; 14 H
Metal
Yonel Lebovici Ressort Letter Holder Distrimex, France, 1969
By Yonel Lebovici
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Rare limited edition letter holder designed by Yonel Lebovici and manufactured by Distrimex, France 1969. This nickel plated spiral shaped letter holder was made in a limited product...
Chrome
Handmade Big Paperweight with Sphere Shape in Grey Bardiglio Marble
By Fiammetta V.
Located in Carrara, IT
Paperweight with sphere shape in grey Bardiglio marble. Measure: diameter 12cm Each piece is in a way unique (since each marble block is different in veins and shades) and handcraft...
Marble
$950
H 5.63 in Dm 6.25 in
Georgous Big Dolphin and Fish Sea Murano Italian Art Glass Aquarium Paperweight
By Arte Nuova Murano
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful Murano hand blown aquarium Italian art glass paper weight. Showing some blue dolphins and fishes with a Coral Reef inside, floating on controlle...
Murano Glass
$135 / item
H 2.25 in W 4.75 in D 13.5 in
Salle de Bain - S - Handmade Cast Concrete Tray in White by UMÉ Studio
By UMÉ Studio
Located in Oakland, CA
Cast in one pour, this piece is derived from classic bathroom tile to organize and curate your personal belongings. Perfect for your everyday bathroom or desk items. A play on a classic architectural sample: the bathroom tile. Everyday it exists in the corner of our eye, an invisible actor of our daily routine. Out of context it becomes an object full of the rituals it witnessed. On the "wrong" surface it attracts the eye - desires a touch. Used the "wrong" way it is this newly found friend - that was always there. The Salle de Bain series plays on an oft-overlooked architectural detail: the bathroom tile. By displacing the familiar shape from a quotidian surface to its own distinct form, the cast-in- concrete tray...
Concrete
Pietrina Checcacci Cast Bronze Hand Letter Holder with Granite Base
By Pietrina Checcacci, Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Cast bronze hand letter holder by Italian-Brazilian artist Pietrina Checcacci. The small weighted object features a patinated bronze set of fingers th...
Granite, Bronze
Pietrina Checcacci Cast Bronze Legs Letter Holder
By Pietrina Checcacci
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Cast bronze legs letter holder by Italian-Brazilian artist Pietrina Checcacci. The small weighted object features a patinated bronze pair of bent legs ...
Bronze
Pietrina Checcacci Cast Bronze Thumbs Letter Holder
By Pietrina Checcacci
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Cast bronze thumbs letter holder by Italian-Brazilian artist Pietrina Checcacci. The small weighted object features a patinated bronze pair of opposing thumbs that are separated to s...
Bronze
Pietrina Checcacci Cast Bronze Foot Letter Opener
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Cast bronze foot letter opener by Italian-Brazilian artist Pietrina Checcacci. The small weighted object features a patinated bronze blade with a foot with upraised big toe as the ha...
Bronze
Pietrina Checcacci Cast Bronze Finger Sculpture
By Pietrina Checcacci
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Cast bronze finger by Italian-Brazilian artist Pietrina Checcacci. The small weighted object features a bronze finger in a curved position with the tip f...
Bronze
Amethyst Crystal Cluster Geode in Heart Shape
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Amethyst crystal cluster geode in heart shape. Dimensions Height: 2 in. Width: 3.75 in. Depth: 4.75 in. Handmade and formed into a heart shape...
Amethyst, Quartz
Pair of Unique Brown Agate Bookends
Located in Paris, FR
Pair of unique gorgeous agate stones bookends and polished and varnished brass. The natural stone integrates with the different design languages, combining straight and sinuous curv...
Agate, Brass
Blue Pair of Blue Agate Bookends
By Graziela Dias
Located in Paris, FR
Blue agate and polished and garnished brass pair of bookends. Natural stone integrates with the different design languages, combining straight and sinuous curves in sophisticated ...
Agate, Brass
Pair of Unique Brown Agate Bookends
By Graziela Dias
Located in Paris, FR
Pair of unique gorgeous Agate stones bookends and polished and varnished brass. The natural stone integrates with the different design languages, combining straight and sinuous curv...
Agate, Brass
Purple Amethyst Geode Specimen
Located in Astoria, NY
An amethyst geode specimen with large purple crystal Formations dating from the 20th century, possibly Brazil. This piece is in good vintage co...
Amethyst
Chrome or Pyrite Mineral Sculpture
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Natural specimen heavy block of chrome or pyrite, very decorative as a sculpture. Galena, pyrite.
Precious Stone