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.
Late 20th Century Brazilian Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Seating
Wood
Early 2000s Brazilian Seating
Upholstery, Imbuia
Late 20th Century Brazilian Seating
Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Leather, Upholstery, Fiberglass, Wood, Rosewood
Early 2000s Post-Modern Brazilian Seating
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Foam, Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Steel
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Faux Fur, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Post-Modern Brazilian Seating
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Post-Modern Brazilian Seating
Iron
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Leather, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Cedar
1970s Vintage Brazilian Seating
Stainless Steel
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Fabric
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Iron
2010s Modern Brazilian Seating
Cork
21st Century and Contemporary Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Leather, Hardwood
20th Century Brazilian Seating
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Cane, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Fabric, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Cane, Hardwood
1960s Vintage Brazilian Seating
Metal
1960s Vintage Brazilian Seating
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Suede, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Suede, Rosewood
2010s Brazilian Seating
Steel
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Hardwood
2010s Brazilian Seating
Steel
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Cane, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Upholstery, Teak
2010s Organic Modern Brazilian Seating
Steel
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Suede
1960s Vintage Brazilian Seating
Rosewood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Leather, Jacaranda
1950s Vintage Brazilian Seating
Metal
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Leather, Jacaranda, Rosewood
Early 2000s Modern Brazilian Seating
Wood
1960s Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Brass
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Seating
Aluminum
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Hardwood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Linen, Jacaranda
1950s Vintage Brazilian Seating
Iron
20th Century Organic Modern Brazilian Seating
Hardwood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Jacaranda
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Cowhide, Jacaranda
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Chrome
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Leather, Jacaranda
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Seating
Rosewood, Upholstery
Read More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Fred Rigby’s Modular Seating Can Be Configured in So Many Handy Ways
The plush Cove Slipper 2.5 Seater sofa is just one of many convenient combinations from the London-based maker.
This Chubby-Chic Quilted Stool Stands on Its Own Two Feet
Sam Klemick's cool stool is edgy, cozy and environmentally sustainable all at once.
Riotous Shapes and Colors Have Made Uchronia’s Designs the Toast of Paris
Julien Sebban’s energetic design collective is radically reshaping the look of 21st-century European furniture and interiors.
Is Lionel Jadot the Willy Wonka of Upcycled Belgian Design?
From his massive collaborative workshop in a former paper factory, the designer concocts funky furniture from disused materials, as well as luxe hotel interiors like the new Mix Brussels.
Rock Your Cares Away on This Sunny Hand-Crocheted Swing
The boho-chic Enchanted Forest Swing, handmade by marginalized women from Turkey and Syria, is uplifting in every way.
Learn Why Designer Maarten Baas Set This Charles Rennie Mackintosh Chair on Fire
What happens when you do something to a piece of furniture that you shouldn’t? It becomes an entirely new object.
Eileen Gray’s Famed Cliffside Villa in the South of France Is Returned to Its Modernist Glory
After years of diligent restoration, E-1027, the designer-cum-architect’s marriage of romance and modernism, is finally complete.