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
21st Century and Contemporary Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Brass
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Stone, Crystal
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Hardwood
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Nylon, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Rosewood
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
20th Century Kinetic Brazilian Furniture
Lucite
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
Early 18th Century Other Antique Brazilian Furniture
Wrought Iron
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Concrete, Stone, Steel
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Marble
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Faux Leather, Cane, Hardwood, Walnut
2010s Brutalist Brazilian Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Silver, Iron
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Wood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Concrete
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Nylon, Wood
2010s Other Brazilian Furniture
Quartz
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Marble, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Other Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Early 2000s Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood, Cane
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Fabric, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Hardwood
1990s Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Quartz
15th Century and Earlier Antique Brazilian Furniture
Amethyst
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Plastic
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Plastic
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Acrylic, Wood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Other
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Chrome
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Faux Leather, Cane, Hardwood, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Foam
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood, Glass
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Jacaranda
1990s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Other
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Rock Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Marble