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.
1850s Spanish Colonial Antique Brazilian Furniture
Brass
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Fiberglass, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Iron
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Fiberglass
2010s Art Deco Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Metal, Other
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Velvet, Hardwood
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Hardwood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Marble
20th Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Imbuia
1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Rosewood
2010s Other Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Amethyst, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Metal
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood, Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Laminate
2010s Art Deco Brazilian Furniture
Quartz, Metal
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Ceramic, Pottery
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Jacaranda
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Velvet, Natural Fiber, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Velvet, Wood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Animal Skin
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Limestone
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Steel
20th Century Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
PVC, Walnut
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Stainless Steel
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Paint
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Concrete, Stone, Steel
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood, Plywood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Hardwood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Early 18th Century Antique Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Formica
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Plastic
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Faux Leather, Cane, Hardwood, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Hardwood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Silver Leaf
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Aluminum
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Stone, Crystal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Brass
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Marble
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Murano Glass, Petrified Wood