Brazilian Modern Sofa by Joaquim Tenreiro
View Similar Items
Brazilian Modern Sofa by Joaquim Tenreiro
About the Item
- Creator:Joaquim Tenreiro (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 92 in (233.68 cm)Depth: 27 in (68.58 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Beverly Hills, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU160826539873
Joaquim Tenreiro
The Portugese-born furniture designer Joaquim Tenreiro was a pioneer of modernism in Brazil, where his work paved the way for the successes of such mid-20th-century design greats as Sergio Rodrigues, Jorge Zalszupin, and Lina Bo Bardi, an Italian-Brazilian architect whose futuristic São Paulo buildings are only part of her legacy.
Tenreiro’s vintage tables, chairs and storage cabinets are known for their simplicity of line and an elegance that is enhanced by the use of richly grained South American hardwoods such as jacaranda and imbuia.
Tenreiro’s father and grandfather were both master woodworkers, under whom he trained in the craft. He had artistic leanings and in the late 1920s enrolled as a university student at the School of Arts and Crafts in Rio de Janeiro, where he joined a group of upstart modernists protesting the staid, retrograde curriculum at the college. At the time, Brazil was culturally mired in a 19th-century mindset that was reflected in an upper-class preference for academic painting and reproduction furnishings in antique European styles. But the progressive spirit that Tenreiro and his colleagues fostered slowly gained force.
With the terms “lightness” and “functionality” as his bywords, Tenreiro opened a furniture-design business in 1943, where one of his first clients was the legendary architect Oscar Niemeyer. The arrival of Brazil’s first democratically elected government, in 1945, lent modernism official sanction, which culminated in the construction of the new capital, Brasília. Tenreiro eventually stepped away from design in the late 1960s to devote his time to sculpture and painting.
To appreciate how revolutionary Tenreiro’s work seemed, one must imagine the heavy, ornately carved, deeply varnished furniture that was the standard for top-end Brazilian interior design in the 1930s. Tenreiro’s chairs and sofas employed slender, softly angular frames that were only lightly stained to highlight the grains of the local woods. He preferred chairs and chaises with caned seats and backrests that “breathe” in the tropical climate, and as a carpenter and joiner he wanted to show off the beauty of Brazilian wood.
Two versions of a three-legged side chair introduced in 1947 serve as a veritable manifesto for a new age in Brazilian design: Using the stack-lamination technique, Tenreiro bonded together a gently contoured seat made of alternating layers of different-colored native woods to produce a magnificent stripe effect. These chairs, like all Tenreiro works, demonstrate the enduring power of simple design and superb construction — with a teaspoon of flair.
Find vintage Joaquim Tenreiro furniture on 1stDibs.
- Sofa by Joaquim TenreiroBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in London, GBRare sofa by Joaquim Tenreiro. Preserves traces of manufacture's label on the back.Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Hardwood
Price Upon Request - Curved Sofa by Joaquim Tenreiro, 1960s, Midcentury, BrazilBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in New York, NYJoaquim Tenreiro (1906-1992) designed and produced the Curved Sofa in circa 1960, commercializing it in his company Tenreiro Móveis e Decorações – with stores in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. A wooden frame comprises a shell-shaped piece with soft nubuck leather upholstered padding and cushions. Tenreiro's design choice for the feet contrasts with the curved upholstery, bringing four rectangular legs made of solid Brazilian...Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Rosewood
- 1960's Brazilian Modern Sofa “Concha” in Hardwood & Fabric, by Joaquim TenreiroBy Joaquim TenreiroLocated in New York, NYAvailable right now, this beautiful Brazilian modern sofa, designed by Joaquim Tenreiro in the sixties, is absolutely stunning. The model is cal...Category
Vintage 1960s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Joaquim Tenreiro Three-Seat Sofa, Brazil, 1954By Joaquim TenreiroLocated in Barcelona, ESJoaquim Tenreiro Three seats sofa Manufactured by Tenreiro Moveis e Decoraçaos Brazil, 1954 Jacaranda, upholstery From the archives of Side Gallery, Barcelona Measurements: ...Category
Vintage 1950s Brazilian Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Jacaranda
- Midcentury Modern Sofa in Hardwood & Grey Velvet by Joaquim Tenreiro Brazil 1960By Joaquim TenreiroLocated in New York, NYAvailable right now, this Brazilian modern sofa designed by Joaquim Tenreiro in the sixties is gorgeous! The model is called “Concha” (Shell in portuguese) and the sofa features a hardwood structure, upholstered seats in gray velvet, and four toothpick legs. In addition, the back consists of five rounded curves that end in the arm rests. What makes this sofa so special is the sleek design which is iconic from Joaquim Tenreiro. The sofa fits 3 comfortably and is in excellent condition. The last three images showcase the piece in its original state. The sofa is so awesome that it looks fantastic in any furniture set we match it with. The first set photo showcases the sofa with the matching “Concha” armchairs (sold separately) and a Jean Gillon Rodeio...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsVelvet, Hardwood
- Brazilian Modern Sofa in Hardwood & Light Blue Fabric, Joaquim Tenreiro, c. 1960By Joaquim TenreiroLocated in New York, NYThis “Curva” (curve in Portuguese) sofa was designed by Joaquim Tenreiro in the 1950s for his own company Tenreiro Moveis e Decoraçãos. It fits four people comfortably. The shell-sha...Category
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Hardwood