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.
Early 20th Century Brazilian Furniture
Silver
Early 20th Century Brazilian Furniture
Silver
Early 20th Century Art Deco Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Revival Brazilian Furniture
Paper
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Revival Brazilian Furniture
Paper
Early 1900s Art Nouveau Antique Brazilian Furniture
Jacaranda
Early 20th Century Rustic Brazilian Furniture
Cane, Wood, Walnut
Early 20th Century Tribal Brazilian Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Rock Crystal, Brass
Early 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Jacaranda
Early 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Silk, Cane, Wood
Early 20th Century Brazilian Furniture
Quartz
Early 20th Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Rock Crystal
Early 20th Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Rock Crystal
Early 20th Century Brazilian Furniture
Paper
Early 20th Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Rock Crystal
Early 20th Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Rock Crystal
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Revival Brazilian Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century Folk Art Brazilian Furniture
Paper
Early 1900s Art Nouveau Antique Brazilian Furniture
Cane, Wood
1910s Art Nouveau Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Beech, Velvet
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Granite
1890s Art Nouveau Antique Brazilian Furniture
Oak, Sycamore
20th Century Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal, Brass
Mid-19th Century High Victorian Antique Brazilian Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Renaissance Revival Antique Brazilian Furniture
Softwood, Paper
Early 20th Century Victorian Brazilian Furniture
Silver Plate
18th Century Antique Brazilian Furniture
Silver
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Furniture
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Revival Brazilian Furniture
Paper
Early 20th Century Country Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Brazilian Furniture
Paper
Early 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
Early 20th Century Brazilian Furniture
Rock Crystal
Early 20th Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Rock Crystal, Gold Plate
Early 20th Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Rock Crystal
Early 20th Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Rock Crystal
Early 20th Century Native American Brazilian Furniture
Rope, Feathers
Early 20th Century Native American Brazilian Furniture
Rope, Feathers
Early 20th Century Native American Brazilian Furniture
Other