Brazilian Furniture
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 Furniture
Brass
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Paper
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Fabric
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Glass
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Cement
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Industrial Brazilian Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Industrial Brazilian Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Rope
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Lucite
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Iron
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Brass, Copper, Silver
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Concrete
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Cement
19th Century Renaissance Revival Antique Brazilian Furniture
Velvet, Walnut, Trimming, Wood
Early 2000s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
1960s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Cement
19th Century Louis XVI Antique Brazilian Furniture
Damask, Silk, Giltwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Paper
1930s Art Deco Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Velvet, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Concrete
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Multi-gemstone, Quartz, Onyx
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Glass
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Plywood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Lucite
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal, Brass
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Cement
2010s Organic Modern Brazilian Furniture
Agate, Crystal
2010s Organic Modern Brazilian Furniture
Agate, Crystal
1990s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Acrylic
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Acrylic