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 Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Faux Leather, Cane, Hardwood, Walnut
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Steel
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Paper
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Textile, Wood, Hardwood
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Canvas, Walnut
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Cane, Rosewood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Other
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Brass, Iron
Mid-20th Century Kinetic Brazilian Furniture
Lucite
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Agate, Bronze
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fur, Hide, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Other
21st Century and Contemporary Industrial Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Travertine, Brass
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood, Glass
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Stone, Marble
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Hardwood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Fiberglass, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Jacaranda
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Iron
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Acrylic
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Iron
1970s Organic Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Cowhide
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Steel
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Fabric
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Jacaranda
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Blown Glass
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century Folk Art Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Iron
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery
2010s Art Deco Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Metal, Other
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Formica, Hardwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Industrial Brazilian Furniture
Metal
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
2010s Art Deco Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Metal, Other
Mid-20th Century Brutalist Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Other
2010s Art Deco Brazilian Furniture
Metal
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Laminate, Hardwood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Ceramic, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Stone, Other