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.
"Altar" Contemporary Golden Censer in Cast Brass by Estudio Orth
By Estúdio Orth
Located in Sao Paulo, BR
Altar III Contemporary golden censer, in cast brass. Produced in São Paulo, Brazil. This golden censer was meticulously handmade by master artisans one delicate piece at a time. It ...
Brass
Antique Rustic Buddhist Step Candle Table Altar
Located in New York, NY
Antique Rustic Buddhist Candle Stand Altar Table. Theravada Buddhist Rustic Antique Step Altar Table originally used for candle burning, meditation, and devotion activities. In ver...
Teak
Saffron Candle Holder Large in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal
Located in Noida, DL
Saffron Candle Holder Large in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal With moniker’s such as red gold, exquisite thread or golden light, saffron captivates us all. Ancient Romans prized them f...
Brass
Blackbuck Candle Holder Small in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal
Located in Noida, DL
Blackbuck Candle Holder Small in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal The Blackbuck is an animal revered across cultures, and in India symbolic of purity and the divine. Our collection of ca...
Brass
Leher Candelabra Small in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal
By Viya by Vikram Goyal
Located in Noida, DL
Leher Candelabra Small in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal Cascading, like the lithe petals of the hundred-leaf rose, this collection bends light and form into sculptural abstraction. A ...
Brass
$1,300 / item
H 18 in W 12 in D 14 in
Emerald Garden Candle Holder Large in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal
By Viya by Vikram Goyal
Located in Noida, DL
Emerald Garden Candle Holder Large in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal A metamorphosis from inspiration to sculptural form, the ‘Emerald Garden’ twists and rises in rhythmic movement, mu...
Brass
$600 / item
H 15.75 in W 9.5 in D 9.5 in
Glory Lily Candle Holder Medium in Brass & Precious Stone, Viya by Vikram Goyal
Located in Noida, DL
Glory Lily Candle Holder Medium in Brass & Precious Stone, Viya by Vikram Goyal The Glory Lily flower dances in paradox, embodying breathtaking beauty and potent power. A striki...
Brass
$285 / item
H 16 in W 4 in D 4 in
Under The Banyan Bronze Candle Holder Large in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal
Located in Noida, DL
Under The Banyan Bronze Candle Holder Large in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal Echoing ancient whispers of worship, each object captures the essence of the Banyan tree, believed to hold...
Brass
Saffron Candle Holder Small in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal
Located in Noida, DL
Saffron Candle Holder Small in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal With moniker’s such as red gold, exquisite thread or golden light, saffron captivates us all. Ancient Romans prized them f...
Brass
Brass and Bakelite Candlestick holders by Chase Brass - a Pair
Located in Van Nuys, CA
An elegant pair of polished brass and Bakelite Art Deco Modernist floral candle holders designed by the Chase Metalworks Co., of Waterbury, CT. The "Chase" mark is imprinted on the ...
Brass
Saffron Candle Holder Medium in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal
Located in Noida, DL
Saffron Candle Holder Medium in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal With moniker’s such as red gold, exquisite thread or golden light, saffron captivates us all. Ancient Romans prized them ...
Brass
$420 / item
H 9 in W 6.5 in D 10.5 in
Emerald Garden Candle Holder Small in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal
By Viya by Vikram Goyal
Located in Noida, DL
Emerald Garden Candle Holder Small in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal A metamorphosis from inspiration to sculptural form, the ‘Emerald Garden’ twists and rises in rhythmic movement, mu...
Brass
$245 / item
H 13 in W 4 in D 4 in
Under The Banyan Bronze Candle Holder Medium in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal
Located in Noida, DL
Under The Banyan Bronze Candle Holder Medium in Brass, Viya by Vikram Goyal Echoing ancient whispers of worship, each object captures the essence of the Banyan tree, believed to hol...
Brass