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.
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Faux Leather, Imbuia
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Paper
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wool, Rosewood
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Upholstery
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Fruitwood
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Brass, Iron
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Iron
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1960s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Steel
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Hardwood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Hardwood
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Jacaranda
1960s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Iron
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather
17th Century Other Antique Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Brutalist Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Plywood
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Jacaranda
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Jacaranda
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Fabric, Wood
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Steel
1960s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Jacaranda, Rosewood
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Formica, Jacaranda
1960s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Jacaranda
1960s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Jacaranda
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood
15th Century and Earlier Antique Brazilian Furniture
Stone, Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Wood
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
1970s Brutalist Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal, Brass
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Jacaranda
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Iron
2010s Primitive Brazilian Furniture
Ceramic, Pottery
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Laminate, Wood
1960s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1970s Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Bouclé, Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Bentwood
Late 20th Century Other Brazilian Furniture
Leather
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s International Style Brazilian Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Clay
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
2010s International Style Brazilian Furniture
Leather
Late 20th Century Other Brazilian Furniture
Leather
2010s International Style Brazilian Furniture
Leather
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Brass, Iron
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Enamel
2010s International Style Brazilian Furniture
Leather