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.
1990s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wicker, Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Fabric, Wood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Quartz, Steel
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Brutalist Brazilian Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Nylon, Imbuia
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Suede, Wood
2010s Art Deco Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Metal, Other
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Iron
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Wool, Hardwood
1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Synthetic, Hardwood
2010s Art Deco Brazilian Furniture
Metal
2010s Organic Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal, Stainless Steel
2010s Other Brazilian Furniture
Marble
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Fabric
19th Century Antique Brazilian Furniture
Wood
19th Century Rustic Antique Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Hardwood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Marble, Bronze
2010s Industrial Brazilian Furniture
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Marble, Stone
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Marble, Metal
Early 1800s Baroque Antique Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Ceramic
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood, Fabric
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1940s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Jacaranda
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Textile, Wood, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Faux Leather, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Jacaranda
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Soapstone
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Hardwood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Bronze
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Jacaranda
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Velvet, Wood
1980s Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Jacaranda
2010s Organic Modern Brazilian Furniture
Agate, Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Bouclé
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Onyx, Bronze
2010s Art Deco Brazilian Furniture
Quartz, Metal
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Rosewood
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Lucite
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Amethyst
1940s Art Deco Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood