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.
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Hardwood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
2010s Other Brazilian Furniture
Yarn
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Agate, Amethyst, Crystal, Rock Crystal
1950s Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Jacaranda
2010s Other Brazilian Furniture
Yarn
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1950s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Art Deco Brazilian Furniture
Quartz, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Brass
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Amethyst
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Quartz
21st Century and Contemporary Folk Art Brazilian Furniture
Sheet Metal
2010s Anglo-Japanese Brazilian Furniture
Straw, Wood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Teak, Fabric
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Iron
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Velvet, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century Victorian Antique Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Wood
2010s Industrial Brazilian Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Cane, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood, Formica
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Metal
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Agate, Amethyst
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Leather
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Stone, Metal
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Rosewood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Acrylic, Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Quartz
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Bouclé
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Fiberglass, Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood, Glass
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Iron
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Brass
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Crystal
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Furniture
Precious Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Steel
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Onyx, Marble