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.
$15,995 / set
Stunning 7.5 ft Tall Corner Cabinets from Brazil
Located in Atlanta, GA
A pair of 19th century Brazilian painted wood tall corner cabinets with beautifully arched and decoratively paneled doors. This pair of antique corner cabinets...
Wood
"PARIS" Contemporary Bar Lacquer
By Vermeil
Located in Sao Paulo, SP
"P.ARIS" contemporary bar lacquer. External in lacquer. Wooden interior with coasters and bottles. Design Lattoog.
Lacquer
$3,488Sale Price|24% Off
H 76 in W 31 in D 17 in
Superb Antique English Marquetry Inlaid Art Nouveau Mahogany Corner Cabinet
Located in CHARLESTON, SC
Exceptional antique English marquetry inlaid late 19th century Art Nouveau mahogany corner cabinet with wonderful stylized inlays of the Arts & Crafts / Art Nouveau period. Original ...
Mahogany, Satinwood
19th-C. French Corner Cabinet
Located in Ballard, CA
A single door painted French corner cabinet in the Louis XVI style. Made out of pine wood painted with light gray/blue and cream accents. Feature...
Iron
$1,359Sale Price|20% Off
H 43.51 in W 32.09 in D 22.25 in
Teak Mid-Century Modern Corner Cabinet or Cupboard, 1960s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Stunning Mid-Century Modern corner cabinet or cupboard. Striking Dutch design from the 1960s. Solid teak and teak veneer. Three original drawe...
Teak
$3,600
H 67.5 in W 31.75 in D 19.5 in
19th Century Chinoiserie Corner Cabinet in Black Lacquered Bamboo
Located in Stockbridge, GA
French 19th century Chinoiserie Bamboo Corner Cabinet Black Lacquered.
Bamboo
$2,800
H 76.5 in W 33.5 in D 16.5 in
Antique English Jacobean Corner Cabinet Barley Twist Legs Oak Key TALL 1920s
Located in Tyler, TX
Antique English Jacobean Dark Oak Corner Cabinet with Open Shelves, Lower Cabinet and Key~~TALL~~c. 1920s Carved upper sides with 3 open shelves and p...
Oak
Large pair of lacquered Piedmontese angoliere
Located in Cesena, FC
Large pair of lacquered Piedmontese angoliere, height 263 cm. Important pair of large early 19th-century Piedmontese angoliere, made of poplar wood and featuring a refined lacquer f...
Poplar, Paint
$5,500
H 81 in W 34.5 in D 18 in
Edwardian Mahogany Corner Cabinet, Carved Design, England, Circa 1850
Located in Vero Beach, FL
Edwardian mahogany corner cabinet. This English mahogany cabinet is an elegant corner piece. The cupboard top is ornately glass paneled and the bottom cabinet is decoratively inlaid with satinwood. The cabinet stands on an apron with bracket feet. Glass doors open to 3 shelves lined in sumptuous blue green antique damask...
Mahogany
$1,634
H 60.63 in W 36.62 in D 22.05 in
Large Antique Late Empire Corner Cabinet Made In Mahogany From 1840s
Located in Lejre, DK
This large antique late Empire corner cabinet exudes the grandeur and elegance characteristic of the 1840s. Crafted from rich mahogany, a prized wood choice for furniture of this era...
Mahogany
Mid-Century Danish Teak Corner Bar Cabinet, 1960s
Located in BERKEL EN RODENRIJS, NL
Beautiful vintage corner cabinet from the 1960s, made in Denmark. This piece is crafted from warm teak wood with a rich grain pattern throughout. The upper section features two doors...
Teak
Danish Teak Corner Storage Liquor Cabinet Bar
By Hans J. Wegner
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Midcentury Danish modern corner teak liquor cabinet bar cupboard shelves storage.
Teak
18th Century Italian Painted Corner Cabinet
Located in Houston, TX
18th century Italian painted corner cabinet. This stunning antique Italian two part corner cabinet, cupboard or duex corp with original painted finish is simply stunning. This Tusca...
Wood
$11,587Sale Price|40% Off
H 85.04 in W 44.49 in D 24.41 in
19th Century Austrian Baroque Corner Cabinet, Hand-Carved Walnut
Located in Lucenec, SK
Gorgeous 19th century antique Austrian tall hand carved corner cabinet. The cabinet was part of the original equipment of Fészek Artists’ Club established in 1901 in Budapest. The c...
Walnut
Vintage Decorative Painted 2-Door Corner Cabinet
Located in Round Top, TX
The character of this European style corner cupboard is revealed in the unusual decorative paint which is lightly distressed, highlighting the contours of the crown molding and arche...
Wood
Sold
H 36.25 in W 39 in D 25 in
Pair of Vintage Brazilian Painted Wood Corner Cabinets in Soft Beige & Blue-Grey
Located in Atlanta, GA
A pair of painted wood corner cabinets. This pair of vintage Brazilian cabinets feature a single drawer over a lower paneled door. They rest ...
Wood