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.
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Faux Leather, Hardwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Other
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Teak
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Fiberglass, Paint
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Steel
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Marble
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Velvet, Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Cane, Rosewood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric
2010s Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Formica, Rosewood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Jacaranda
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Rosewood
1990s Post-Modern Brazilian Furniture
Marble
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Cane, Rosewood
20th Century Brazilian Furniture
Mahogany
2010s Art Deco Brazilian Furniture
Quartz, Aluminum
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Steel
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Teak
2010s Organic Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Parchment Paper
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Brass
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Suede, Rosewood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Leather
1990s Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather
20th Century Tribal Brazilian Furniture
Reed
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Tribal Brazilian Furniture
Reed
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Crystal, Quartz, Other
1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Teak
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Teak
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Teak
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Teak
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Art Glass, Walnut
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Fabric
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Teak
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Wood, Teak, Mirror
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Furniture
Glass
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Teak, Lacquer