Brazilian Sofas
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.
2010s Modern Brazilian Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Sofas
Velvet, Foam, Wood, Hardwood
2010s Modern Brazilian Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Sofas
Linen, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Sofas
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Sofas
Leather, Oak
1970s Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Suede, Rosewood
2010s Modern Brazilian Sofas
Upholstery, Teak, Fabric
Mid-20th Century Brutalist Brazilian Sofas
Leather
2010s Modern Brazilian Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Sofas
Rosewood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Steel
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Leather, Rosewood
1970s Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Wood, Leather
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Steel
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Rosewood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Rosewood, Fabric
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Imbuia
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Fabric, Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Fabric, Plywood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Sofas
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Sofas
Leather, Hardwood
2010s Modern Brazilian Sofas
Upholstery, Teak, Fabric
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Sofas
Rosewood, Leather
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Sofas
Alabaster
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Leather, Rosewood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Fabric, Rosewood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Leather, Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Brass
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Sofas
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Sofas
Suede, Fiberglass
2010s Modern Brazilian Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Leather, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Sofas
Leather
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Sofas
Hardwood, Leather, Fabric
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Leather, Wood, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Sofas
Leather
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Brass
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Faux Leather, Imbuia
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Sofas
Fabric, Hardwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Leather, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Sofas
Leather, Jacaranda
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Leather, Fabric, Wood
2010s Modern Brazilian Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery
Late 20th Century Brazilian Sofas
Leather, Fiberglass, Foam, Wood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Sofas
Bouclé
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Leather
2010s Modern Brazilian Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Fabric, Wood, Plywood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Sofas
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Sofas
Chrome
2010s Modern Brazilian Sofas
Fabric, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Brazilian Sofas
Bouclé
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Sofas
Leather, Wood
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