Brazilian Settees
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.
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Settees
Steel
19th Century Antique Brazilian Settees
Cane, Hardwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Settees
Leather, Rosewood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Settees
Iron
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Settees
Leather
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Settees
Fabric, Foam
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Settees
Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Settees
Fabric, Wood
2010s Brazilian Settees
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Other Brazilian Settees
Wood
Late 20th Century Modern Brazilian Settees
Velvet, Walnut
20th Century Organic Modern Brazilian Settees
Hardwood
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Settees
Leather, Wood, Rosewood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Settees
Mirror, Leather
19th Century Antique Brazilian Settees
Brass
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Settees
Leather, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Settees
Upholstery
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Settees
Rosewood, Leather, Fiberglass
1970s Modern Vintage Brazilian Settees
Suede, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Settees
Leather, Oak
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Settees
Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Settees
Leather, Fabric, Upholstery, Foam, Rosewood
19th Century Louis XV Antique Brazilian Settees
Velvet, Cane, Wood
1980s Post-Modern Vintage Brazilian Settees
Leather, Lacquer
1960s Vintage Brazilian Settees
Leather, Rosewood
1970s Modern Vintage Brazilian Settees
Cotton, Linen
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Settees
Leather, Rosewood
1950s Vintage Brazilian Settees
Wrought Iron
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Settees
Leather, Rosewood
20th Century Brazilian Settees
Cowhide, Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Settees
Leather, Fabric, Wood
1930s Art Deco Vintage Brazilian Settees
Cane, Rosewood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Settees
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Settees
Leather
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Settees
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Settees
Leather, Fabric, Wood