Forma began in São Paulo, under the leadership of Italian designer Carlo Hauner and Austrian architect and interior designer Martin Eisler. Hauner studied drawing and technical drawing at the Brera Academy in Milan. After participating in the Venice Biennale, he emigrated to São Paulo, where he established the furniture manufacturer Móveis Artesanal, for which Carlo and Martin — as well as Carlo’s brother Ernesto Hauner — would create a range of pieces for the home.
In 1936, Eisler earned a degree in architecture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where he studied under Oskar Strnad and Clemens Holzmeister. With World War II looming, he left Austria immediately after graduating. He first went to Czechoslovakia, to which some of his family had already fled. In 1938, he moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and opened his interior design firm Interieur Forma.
Eisler relocated to Brazil in the early 1950s, where he met Hauner. At the time, Eisler had been looking for help producing furniture for his brother-in-law, Ernesto Wolf, and contacted Hauner. The two found that they had a shared vision, and with financial help from Wolf, they opened Galeria Artesanal as a storefront for Móveis Artesanal.
Looking to expand into international sales, the duo rebranded the company Forma. Sérgio Rodrigues, who helped launch a branch of Artesanal in Curitiba, was put in charge of interiors at Forma. That company soon became one of the biggest names in Brazilian furniture — it sold its own sculptural rattan lounge chairs, bookcases and other case pieces crafted with rosewood or jacaranda, and Forma was eventually distributing furniture licensed from iconic American manufacturer Knoll, thereby bringing works by noted designers such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Charles Eames and Harry Bertoia to the Brazilian market.
Forma stands at the forefront of a revival of Brazilian modern furniture. Fashioned from high-grade regionally sourced hardwoods, leather and iron, even Forma's earliest creations have stood the test of time. The company’s alluring mid-century modern works appealed to homeowners at its peak, from the 1950s through the ’70s, and given the broadening interest in Brazilian furniture and the likes of designers such as Rodrigues, vintage Forma is making a major comeback today.
The Forma furniture company continued producing masterfully crafted furniture into the 1970s, until Eisler's death in 1977. Forma folded soon after, but Eisler's company in Argentina, Interieur Forma, is still in business today.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler furniture for sale.
H 29.3 in W 28.35 in D 31.5 in
Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner "Costela" Lounge Chair, Brazil, 1953
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in New York, NY
The Costela armchair is an iconic Brazilian Mid-Century Modern piece. It was designed by Martin Eisler (1913 - 1977) in 1953 and manufactured by the c...
Steel
H 30.52 in W 27.56 in D 28.55 in
Carlo Hauner & Martin Eisler for Forma 'Concha' Lounge Chairs
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler for Forma, 'Conchinha' lounge chairs, iron, fabric, Brazil, 1950s Elegant and modern armchairs by Brazilian designer duo Hauner & Eisler. The thin...
Iron
H 27.96 in W 25.99 in D 31.89 in
'Concha' Lounge Chair, by Martin Eisler & Carlo Hauner, Brazilian Mid-Century
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in Sao Paulo, SP
The "Concha" armchair, designed by Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner, is a hallmark of mid-century Brazilian furniture design. This chair is recognized for its elegant and organic form, indicative of the innovative design spirit of the 1950s and 1960s. Martin Eisler (1913-1977) was an Austrian-born architect and designer who emigrated to Argentina and later worked in Brazil. Carlo Hauner (1927-1996), an Italian-born artist, designer, and entrepreneur, moved to Brazil after World War II. Together, they formed a partnership and played a significant role in the development of modern furniture design in Brazil, creating pieces that were both aesthetically pleasing and functional. Their work is characterized by the use of local materials, and the "Concha" armchair is no exception. It typically features a metal frame with slender, tapered legs that support a seat shell with a distinctive scoop-like shape, reminiscent of a seashell ("concha" means "shell" in Portuguese). The upholstery showcases the richness of Brazilian textiles...
Iron
H 33.08 in W 27.56 in D 33.08 in
Brazilian Lounge Chair Martin Eisler & Carlo Hauner - "Costela" Forma, 1950s
By Forma, Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in Rosendahl, DE
This rare Costela Lounge Chair by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, produced by Forma in the 1950s, features solid wood ribs paired with a vintage leopard-patterned teddy fabric. A tru...
Steel
H 29.3 in W 28.35 in D 31.5 in
Mid-Century Modern Costela Armchair by Carlo Hauner & Martin Eisler, 1953
By Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
Located in New York, NY
The Costela armchair is an important Brazilian Mid-Century Modern piece. It was designed by Martin Eisler in 1953 and manufactured by Forma S.A. Móveis e Objetos de Arte, where he wa...
Steel
H 31.5 in W 29.14 in D 31.5 in
Carlo Hauner Martin Eisler Concha Lounge Chair, Brazil, 1950
By Carlo Hauner, Martin Eisler
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Stunning and comfortable ‘Concha’ (shell) lounge chair designed by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler and manufactured by Forma Moveis, Brazil 1950. This chair has a solid steel structur...
Metal
H 31.5 in W 27.56 in D 2,982.29 in
Costela Armchair by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler, Wood and Steel
By Sergio Rodrigues
Located in Lisboa, PT
Costela armchair designed by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler in 1953, a lounge chair with a ribbed wood frame, a steel structure and upholstered cushions. The Costela, Portuguese for ...
Wood
H 32.29 in W 38.98 in D 33.86 in
Roberto Menghi 'Hall' Lounge Chair for Arflex 1958
By Roberto Menghi
Located in Tilburg, NL
Roberto Menghi 'Hall' Lounge Chair for Arflex, designed in 1958. Italy. New, current production. We are at the end of the ‘50s: an interesting series of armchairs and sofas, desig...
Steel
H 30.71 in W 25.6 in D 30.71 in
Concha armchair designed by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler in 1953
By Carlo Hauner
Located in Lisboa, PT
Concha armchair designed by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler in 1953, a lounge chair with a shell shaped upholstered seat on a slender iron structure. The Concha, Portuguese for shell,...
Metal
H 35.04 in W 36.23 in D 33.86 in
Carlo Hauner large lounge chair Forma Moveis Brazil 1955
By Carlo Hauner
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
A highly rare and striking large lounge chair designed by Carlo Hauner and manufactured by Forma Móveis in Brazil, 1955. This extraordinary design captures an almost animalistic pres...
Metal, Brass
PK 13 "Free Swinger" Cantilevered Armchair by Poul Kjaerholm, circa 1974
By E. Kold Christensen, Poul Kjærholm
Located in New York, NY
PK 13 "Free Swinger" cantilevered armchair with chrome-plated spring steel frame and natural brown leather cushion. Designed by Poul Kjaerholm for E. Kold Chris...
Steel
"Daav" Chair by Sergio Rodrigues
By Sergio Rodrigues
Located in New York, NY
"Daav" chair in imbuia wood with black upholstered seat and metal base. Designed by Sergio Rodrigues in 1983, this example was custom made for R 20th century, 2004.
Wood
PK 12 Chair by Poul Kjaerholm, 1964
By Poul Kjærholm
Located in New York, NY
PK 12 chair with hand braided brown leather armrest and stainless steel frame. Seat upholstered in brown leather. Originally designed by Poul Kjaerholm, 1964. Ed...
Blown Glass
Pair of Brazilian Lounge Chairs
Located in New York, NY
Pair of lounge chairs in leather and upholstery, with ebonized bases and rosewood detailing. Brazil, circa 1970.
Leather, Upholstery, Wood
Two-Seat Sofa with Rosewood Frame Designed by Joaquim Tenreiro
By Joaquim Tenreiro
Located in New York, NY
Two-seat sofa with rosewood frame and upholstered cushions. Designed by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazil, circa 1960s.
Rosewood
Africana Chair by Norman Teague
By Norman Teague
Located in New York, NY
"Africana Chair" in solid basswood, with leather seat by Yohance Lacour. Designed by Norman Teague and produced by Norman Teague Design Studios, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 2020.
Leather, Wood
Using stone, wood and bronze, the wildly inventive sculptor creates an entirely new species of functional art object.
What happens when you do something to a piece of furniture that you shouldn’t? It becomes an entirely new object.
