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.
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Linen, Rosewood
2010s Art Deco Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Metal, Other
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut, Wood
2010s Art Deco Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Metal, Other
2010s Art Deco Brazilian Furniture
Quartz, Metal
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Plastic
18th Century and Earlier Antique Brazilian Furniture
Agate
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Iron
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Organic Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Acrylic
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Faux Leather, Rosewood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Rock Crystal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Stone, Metal
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Iron
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Acrylic
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Cowhide, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Rustic Brazilian Furniture
Wool, Wood
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Cane, Imbuia
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Rock Crystal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Rosewood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Rock Crystal
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Metal
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Aluminum
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Stone, Quartz, Brass
2010s Brutalist Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Reclaimed Wood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Stainless Steel
18th Century Antique Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Jacaranda
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Cane, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Concrete
2010s Art Deco Brazilian Furniture
Quartz, Aluminum
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1960s Brutalist Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Plywood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Stone, Crystal
Mid-20th Century Other Brazilian Furniture
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Travertine, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Furniture
Silver
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Lucite
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Brass, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum