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.
1980s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Imbuia
1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Imbuia
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Bouclé, Hardwood, Plywood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Mohair, Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Cord, Plywood
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Faux Leather, Wood
1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Imbuia
1980s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1970s Post-Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Faux Leather, Hardwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Velvet, Hardwood
1960s Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Hardwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1960s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Reclaimed Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Cedar
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1950s Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood, Wool, Pine, Plywood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Plywood, Faux Leather
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Mohair
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Plastic, Plywood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Plywood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Plywood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Plywood
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Plywood
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Plywood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Bouclé, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
1970s Organic Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Faux Leather, Hardwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Hardwood
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Plywood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Plywood, Velvet
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Wood
1950s Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Plywood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Tapestry, Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Velvet, Natural Fiber, Wood