Brazilian Paperweights
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.
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Paperweights
Concrete
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Paperweights
Wood
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Paperweights
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Paperweights
Metal
2010s Modern Brazilian Paperweights
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Modern Brazilian Paperweights
Granite, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Modern Brazilian Paperweights
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Modern Brazilian Paperweights
Bronze
2010s Rustic Brazilian Paperweights
Crystal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Paperweights
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Minimalist Brazilian Paperweights
Brass
2010s Brazilian Paperweights
Marble
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Paperweights
Brass, Gold
2010s Brazilian Paperweights
Marble
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Paperweights
Concrete
2010s Brazilian Paperweights
Marble
1930s Art Deco Vintage Brazilian Paperweights
Hardwood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Paperweights
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Paperweights
Resin
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Paperweights
Cement
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Paperweights
Chrome
Early 20th Century Art Deco Brazilian Paperweights
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Modern Brazilian Paperweights
Granite, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Modern Brazilian Paperweights
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Modern Brazilian Paperweights
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Organic Modern Brazilian Paperweights
Amethyst, Quartz
2010s Other Brazilian Paperweights
Agate, Brass
2010s Other Brazilian Paperweights
Agate, Brass
2010s Other Brazilian Paperweights
Agate, Brass
20th Century Organic Modern Brazilian Paperweights
Amethyst
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Paperweights
Precious Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Organic Modern Brazilian Paperweights
Agate, Amethyst