Brazilian Armchairs
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.
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Iron
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Upholstery, Rosewood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Brass
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Iron
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Cane, Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Linen, Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Hardwood, Fabric
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Velvet, Imbuia
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Upholstery, Fabric, Hardwood
1650s Mid-Century Modern Antique Brazilian Armchairs
Iron
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Velvet, Wood
1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Leather, Imbuia
2010s Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Aluminum
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Cane, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Metal
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Metal
1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Leather, Imbuia
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Leather, Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Metal
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Leather, Rosewood
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Cowhide, Leather, Jacaranda, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Chrome
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Leather, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Iron
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Brass, Iron
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Iron
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Linen, Hardwood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Cane, Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Steel
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Cane, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Stainless Steel
1660s Mid-Century Modern Antique Brazilian Armchairs
Rosewood, Leather
Early 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Leather, Cherry
2010s Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Leather, Rosewood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Wood, Fabric
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Wood, Faux Leather
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Silk, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Iron
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Iron
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Rosewood, Fabric
Early 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Jacaranda
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Armchairs
Leather, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Armchairs
Rosewood