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
Metal
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Carrara Marble
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Resin
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
2010s Art Deco Brazilian Furniture
Leather
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Animal Skin
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Jacaranda
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Teak
1960s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Jacaranda
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Smoked Glass, Rosewood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Rock Crystal, Other
1970s Brutalist Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Quartz, Bronze
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Animal Skin
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Cane, Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Teak, Fabric
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Teak
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Teak, Cane
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Rock Crystal
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood
1990s Organic Modern Brazilian Furniture
Agate
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Teak, Cane
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Velvet, Hardwood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Jacaranda
1960s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Faux Fur, Wood
1980s Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal, Silver Plate
1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Chrome
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Teak, Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Smoked Glass, Rosewood
1980s Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Onyx, Agate
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Resin
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Brass
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Cane, Hardwood, Lacquer
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Quartz, Crystal, Other
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Suede, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Suede, Wood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Suede, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Suede, Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Mohair, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Fiberglass, Foam