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.
$270 / item
Brass Vase, Brazilian Contemporary Style
By Tiago Curioni
Located in Sao Paulo, SP
Yugen means a deep inner feeling, an expression of depth, the untranslated mystery, the incomprehensible and the abstract in all artistic activities. According to the Japanese, Yugen...
Brass
Painting in the shape of butterfly wings, Brazil, 1970
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Butterfly wing wall composition, Brazil, 1970s, a unique decorative piece blending nature and art. This piece features a spiraling circular composition made from real butterfly wings...
Wood, Animal Skin, Glass
Austrian Midcentury Brass Wall Hooks
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Vienna, AT
Ebonized brass coat, hat hooks, elegant shape and perfect quality made in Austria in the 1950s. Up to four piece available.
Brass
$5,500 / item
H 5 in W 48 in D 3 in
Brass Coat Rack Wall Mount Custom Hand Made Sliding Hooks Bronze Patina
Located in East Hampton, NY
Custom site specific sizes available (length and quantity of hooks) Stainless steel, brass, bronze, aluminum Hand applied patina finishes Hooks slide along a 1" diameter rod.
Brass, Stainless Steel
Contemporary Golden Solid Brass Gio Hook by Henry Wilson
By Henry Wilson
Located in Geneve, CH
Brass Gio Hook by Henry Wilson Dimensions: W 2 x D 8 x H 12 cm Materials: Brass Note: Hooks come with matching screws. The Gio Hook is sand cast in solid bra...
Brass
Carl Auböck #4995 Patinated Brass Hook
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck #4995 Patinated Brass Hook Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese hook is executed in polished and patinated brass by We...
Brass
Collections of Butterflies and Insectin Taxidermy from the 60s
Located in Naples, IT
A group of real Brazilian butterflies presented in a beautiful antique wooden box from 1960. These specimens are extremely rare and have been selected from a vintage collection.
Glass, Wood
$1,436
H 16.5 in W 14.3 in D 11 in
Antique Hand Carved Gothic Revival Wall Bracket or Shelf for a Saint Statue
Located in Lisse, NL
Good size and great looking Gothic Revival bracket for displaying a statuette. This Gothic console for wall mounting dates from the early 1900s and it has the most timeless design a...
Metal
Austrian Midcentury Brass Wall Hook
Located in Vienna, AT
Brass chrome-plated coat, hat hooks, elegant shape and perfect quality made in Austria in the early 1950s. Original condition.
Brass, Chrome
19th Century Silver Loderein Box in the Shape of a Book
Located in Delft, NL
A 19th century silver loderein box in the shape of a book A silver loderein box in the shape of a book with engraving. 19th century. Under the box ha...
Silver
Carl Auböck #4330/1 Polished Brass Hook
By Werkstätte Carl Auböck
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck #4330/1 Polished Brass Hook Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese hook is executed in polished brass by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Austria. Produc...
Brass
$2,993 / item
H 7.88 in W 9.85 in D 6.3 in
Tiffany Contemporary Wall Lamp 25, Creamy Gauze, Silvered Glass, Brass
By Sabrina Landini
Located in Pietrasanta, IT
TIFFANY The first one, Audrey inspired the iconic Introducing Sabrina's breathtaking collection of Tiffany lamps. Year after year Sabrina Landini perpetuates its exceptional exp...
Brass
$287 / set
H 3.94 in W 2.37 in D 1.97 in
Set of 2 Contemporary Golden Brass F.ACE Wall Hooks by Henry Wilson
By Henry Wilson
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2 Brass F.ACE Wall Hooks by Henry Wilson Dimensions: W 6 x D 5 x H 10 cm Materials: Brass The F.ACE Hook is a riff on our popular compass Hook. It is sand cast in solid brass...
Brass
$624
H 13.39 in W 20.87 in D 0.79 in
1940'S BRAZILIAN INLAID WOOD TRAY WITH REAL MORPHO BUTTERFLY WiNGS
Located in Pulborough, GB
We are excited to present this vintage Brazilian inlaid wood tray with real Morpho butterfly wings. This vintage tray features a geometric pattern m...
Walnut