Brazilian Seating
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.
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Cement
1950s Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Hardwood, Wool, Pine, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Seating
Rope, Hardwood
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Hardwood, Cane
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Seating
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Faux Leather, Cane, Hardwood, Walnut
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Upholstery
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Leather, Hardwood
2010s Modern Brazilian Seating
Leather, Upholstery, Walnut, Wood
2010s Modern Brazilian Seating
Upholstery, Fabric, Teak
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Leather, Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Leather
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Straw, Laminate, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Hardwood
1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Leather, Rosewood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Wood, Mohair
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Seating
Hardwood, Plywood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Leather, Rosewood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Seating
Wood, Pine, Reclaimed Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Hardwood
2010s Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Upholstery
2010s Modern Brazilian Seating
Leather, Textile, Upholstery, Fiberglass, Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Wood, Silk
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Seating
Bouclé
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Silk, Wood
Late 19th Century Neoclassical Revival Antique Brazilian Seating
Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Iron
2010s International Style Brazilian Seating
Wood, Plywood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Cane, Rosewood
2010s Brazilian Seating
Steel
2010s Modern Brazilian Seating
Teak, Upholstery, Fabric
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Leather, Oak
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Velvet, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Steel
2010s Brazilian Seating
Wool, Foam, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Seating
Textile, Wood, Fabric
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Wood, Fabric
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Chrome
2010s Brazilian Seating
Linen, Hardwood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Leather, Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Metal
2010s Modern Brazilian Seating
Upholstery, Hardwood, Fabric
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Leather, Rosewood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Leather, Plywood
1980s Post-Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Steel
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Faux Leather, Wood
1950s Vintage Brazilian Seating
Cane, Jacaranda
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Upholstery, Rosewood
2010s Brazilian Seating
Wool, Foam, Plywood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Wood, Foam
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Velvet, Rosewood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Iron
2010s Brazilian Seating
Fabric
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Seating
Metal
1970s Post-Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Hardwood
1980s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Wood
2010s Modern Brazilian Seating
Upholstery, Hardwood, Faux Leather
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