Percival Lafer Exotic Wood Long Coffee Table for L'atelier De Sao Paulo, Brazil

When it comes to mid-century furniture, the innovative work of the Brazilian Modernists has often been overlooked, including the designs of prolific maker Percival Lafer. Lafer studied architecture at São Paulo’s Universidade Mackenzie. After he graduated, his father passed away suddenly, leaving a furniture business that Lafer took over with his brothers.

Taking up the mantle, Lafer made the jump from architecture to furniture design in 1961, putting a focus on thoughtfully designed pieces available at affordable prices. That year, Lafer introduced his supremely popular MP-1 chair, a plush piece of furniture made with iron and wood that he has riffed on throughout his entire career.

The silhouettes of Lafer lounge chairs, armchairs and other seating were distinct from streamlined American and European mid-century modernism, taking on casual, puffed forms thanks to his use of polyurethane layers as padding. He combined such contemporary industrial materials with local natural ones, namely Brazilian hardwoods, which delighted customers around the world as Lafer became one of the country’s leading exporters of furniture.

Lafer has continued to design furniture throughout his career, branching into sofas, tables and lighting. He was at the forefront of mechanical furniture movements, debuting the MP-7 sofa, which could turn into a twin bed, in 1965, the first such piece on the market. One of his most intriguing projects was the MP Lafer, a two-seat fiberglass roadster designed to emulate British sports cars. Some 4,300 units were produced over its 16-year manufacturing run in the ’70s and ’80s, with several ending up in the collections of major car museums.

Still, Lafer’s biggest claim to fame is his seating, which he continues to design, drawing inspiration from modern shapes and local materials. In 2017, a retrospective of his work was organized as part of the São Paulo Design Weekend.

Find vintage Percival Lafer furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

L'Atelier San Paulo — one of the few South American furniture manufacturers established in the mid-20th century — marries the highest quality materials with the simplicity of form. With the minimalist aesthetic of mid-century modern shapes and the sleekness of modern lines, its furniture has a whisper of sensuality with an element of tension that has seduced devotees over decades. Combining fine materials is the essence of its practices, such as cleverly pairing premium woods with an elegant marble or sensuous leather and gleaming chrome. 

Founded by Jorge Zalszupin, a renowned architect and furniture designer, l'Atelier San Paulo designs commercial and residential pieces out of São Paulo, Brazil. Zalszupin was born Jerzy Zalszupin into a Jewish family in 1922 in Poland. He fled to Romania in 1940 to escape the Nazi occupation. He graduated from Bucharest’s École des Beaux-Arts architecture program in 1944 and emigrated to Brazil in 1949, leaving behind war-scarred Europe. After having a successful architecture firm for close to a decade, he pursued his passion for furniture design by opening l'Atelier San Paulo in 1959.

With Zalszupin at the helm, the company’s pieces were often inspired by the works of Oscar Niemeyer, Le Corbusier and Lucio Costa. A focus on local tropical hardwoods, such as jacaranda, imbuia and rosewood for coffee tables, dining chairs and bar carts, celebrates the diversity of Brazil’s forests. By utilizing Argentina’s famous carpincho leather and bright metals such as brass, chrome and stainless steel in its lounge chairs, sofas and serveware, the company’s work adds sophistication and eclectic style to any space.

On 1stDibs, find l'Atelier San Paulo tables, seating, storage cabinets and more.