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.
Late 20th Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Granite, Bronze
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Straw, Foam, Wood, Purpleheart
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Straw, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Straw, Wood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Brass
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood, Fiberglass, Upholstery, Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Straw, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather
Early 2000s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Canvas, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Foam, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Pine, Reclaimed Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Straw, Wood, Purpleheart
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Nylon
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Zinc
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Paper
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Nylon
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Paper
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Paper
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood, Fiberglass, Upholstery, Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Paper
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Rock Crystal, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Soapstone, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
1980s Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rock Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
1980s Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather
1980s Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Hardwood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Linen
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Bronze
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Bronze
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Fabric
20th Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Wood