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 Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1990s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Marble
1990s Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Leather
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
1970s Brutalist Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Laminate, Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Rosewood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Steel
1970s Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Suede, Rosewood
1990s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1970s Post-Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Velvet, Wood
1970s Other Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Ceramic
1980s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Ceramic
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Rosewood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather
Late 20th Century Brazilian Furniture
Rock Crystal
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Plexiglass
1980s Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal, Silver Plate
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Rosewood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Silver Plate
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Suede, Rosewood
Late 20th Century Brutalist Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Mahogany
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wool
Late 20th Century Organic Modern Brazilian Furniture
Natural Fiber
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Natural Fiber
1990s Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Hardwood
Late 20th Century Organic Modern Brazilian Furniture
Natural Fiber
1970s Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Bouclé, Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Foam, Cedar
1980s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Walnut
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Lucite
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Lucite
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Brazilian Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Bronze
Late 20th Century Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Agate, Onyx
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Faux Leather, Cedar
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Upholstery
1980s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Granite
1980s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Granite
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Cedar
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1990s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Rosewood
Late 20th Century Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Fruitwood
1990s Brazilian Furniture
Glass, Wood
1970s Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood
Late 20th Century Brazilian Furniture
Chrome
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather