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.
1950s Vintage Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Jacaranda
1970s Other Vintage Brazilian Seating
Wood
2010s Brazilian Seating
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Hardwood, Leather
19th Century Country Antique Brazilian Seating
Walnut
2010s Rustic Brazilian Seating
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Bohemian Brazilian Seating
Wool, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Iron
1970s Vintage Brazilian Seating
Leather, Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Wood, Linen
1950s Vintage Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Jacaranda
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Iron
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Iron
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Wrought Iron
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Rosewood, Leather
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Nylon, Imbuia
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Seating
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Seating
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Seating
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Seating
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Wood
2010s Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Wood
2010s Brazilian Seating
Stainless Steel
19th Century Mid-Century Modern Antique Brazilian Seating
Leather, Hardwood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Textile, Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Brass
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Cane, Mahogany
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Rosewood, Leather
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Rosewood, Leather
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Seating
Steel
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Brass, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Seating
Aluminum
2010s International Style Brazilian Seating
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Seating
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Seating
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Seating
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Organic Modern Brazilian Seating
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Seating
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Organic Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Seating
Leather, Wood
Mid-19th Century Antique Brazilian Seating
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Seating
Aluminum, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Seating
Metal
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Seating
Steel
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Wood, Rosewood, Cane
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Seating
Wood, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Seating
Parchment Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Seating
Metal, Aluminum
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Leather, Rosewood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Cane, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Seating
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Minimalist Brazilian Seating
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Minimalist Brazilian Seating
Steel
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