Percival Lafer, Midcentury MP-19 Armchairs, Brazil

A rare model of armchair by Percival Lafer, our stunning pair of MP-51 have their structure entirely made out of solid Jatobá wood - Brazilian cherry. The seat base has been redone with new natural leather straps. These straps are part of the overall aesthetics of the piece. The wood on both chairs has been sanded and matt varnished, revealing the beautiful colour and grain of Jatobá. The wood surfaces look stunning. The chairs have a new brown natural leather upholstery, done in Brazil. These MP51 are very comfortable, and ours are in excellent condition. We have two chairs available. A common trait amongst Lafer pieces is that they are very comfortable and also unique: they have a hard-achieved simplicity about them. Lafer studied architecture at São Paulo’s Universidade Mackenzie. After he graduated, his father passed away suddenly, leaving a furniture business that Lafer took over with his brothers. Lafer then made the jump from architecture to furniture design in 1961, putting a focus on thoughtfully designed pieces available at affordable prices. In the same year he introduced the amazing MP-1 chair, a plush piece of furniture made with iron and wood- and since then has had a prolific career. The silhouettes of his lounge chairs, armchairs and other seating were were a step away from the streamlined American and European mid-century modernism being designed at the time, taking on casual, puffed forms thanks to the use of polyurethane layers as padding. He combined such contemporary industrial materials with local natural ones, namely Brazilian hardwoods, which delighted customers around the world as Lafer became one of the country’s leading exporters of furniture. Lafer has continued to design furniture throughout his career, branching into sofas, tables and lighting. He was at the forefront of mechanical furniture movements, debuting the MP-7 sofa...

A rare and special pair of armchairs, made by Móveis Cimo. Made at the end of 1940s, there are not many around nowadays as this design was produced in small quantities. The seat and back rest are made with a single sheet of curved Imbúia plywood (Brazilian Wallnut) The structure of the chair is made of Açoita Cavalo wood ('horse whip...

In his designs, Percival Lafer sought ergonomy and comfort. The MP-71 armchair, from 1973/1974, is a derivative from MP-61 – his first piece with a visible fiberglass shell structure. The MP-71 comprises a visible fiberglass shell that swives on a base also made of fiberglass. The upholstery follows the same principle as the MP-61, with laminated foam applied directly to the shell. Móveis Lafer...

Rare pair of MP-5  lounge chairs designed by Percival Lafer and manufactured by Lafer MP, Brazil 1961. Steel structures covered with Caviuna. Reupholstered in a grey mixed fabric to ...