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 Brazilian Furniture
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Other
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Enamel
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Enamel
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Walnut
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Iron
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Jacaranda
2010s Organic Modern Brazilian Furniture
Agate, Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Other
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
15th Century and Earlier Antique Brazilian Furniture
Agate
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Other
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Other
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Other
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Other
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood, Bouclé
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Metal
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Cane, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Other
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Granite
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Hardwood
15th Century and Earlier Antique Brazilian Furniture
Agate
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Other
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood, Plywood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Marble, Metal
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Other
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Cane, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Other
2010s Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Suede, Rosewood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood