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.
2010s Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Wood
2010s Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Walnut, Leather, Fabric, Cane
2010s Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
2010s Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
1960s Scandinavian Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Formica, Rosewood
2010s Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Teak, Rope, Wood
1960s Scandinavian Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Rosewood
2010s Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Hardwood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Cord, Hardwood
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1960s Scandinavian Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Teak
2010s Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Metal
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Furniture
Brass
2010s Modern Brazilian Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Furniture
Walnut, Leather, Fabric, Faux Leather
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Fabric, Wood
2010s Brazilian Furniture
Cord, Hardwood
20th Century Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood
20th Century Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Walnut
1960s Scandinavian Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Leather, Rosewood
1970s Scandinavian Modern Vintage Brazilian Furniture
Late 20th Century Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Rosewood
20th Century Scandinavian Modern Brazilian Furniture
Zinc