Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
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.
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Formica, Rosewood
1890s Other Antique Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
2010s Minimalist Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Copper
2010s Modern Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Metal
2010s Modern Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Steel, Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Hardwood
Early 19th Century Other Antique Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Post-Modern Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Stone
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Stainless Steel
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Aluminum
2010s Modern Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Steel
2010s Modern Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Concrete, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Industrial Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Aluminum
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Mid-19th Century Other Antique Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Formica, Rosewood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
1910s Other Vintage Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
2010s Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Stainless Steel
2010s Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Steel
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Hardwood
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Aluminum
2010s Post-Modern Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Aluminum
2010s Modern Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Concrete, Steel
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Formica, Rosewood
2010s Arts and Crafts Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Steel
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Cane, Hardwood
1950s Vintage Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Cane, Wood
1960s Vintage Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Leather, Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Brazilian Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood, Formica
Read More
The Ultimate Guide to Types of Tables for the Home
Whether you’re just moving in or ready to give your home a makeover, our guide will give you pointers on tables that are fitting for every room, nook and hallway.
What Exactly Is a Secretary Desk, and What Is It Used For?
The furniture equivalent of a Swiss Army knife, it's the multifunctional piece you didn't know you needed.
This Shelving System with Oxidized Brass Tubes Is Retro and Futuristic at Once
Italian studio DimoreMilano mustered great ingenuity when crafting these sculptural shelves, which are built without any screws.
28 Cheerful Home Bars, Where Everybody (Literally) Knows Your Name
Simple or sophisticated, equipped with console, cart or custom cabinetry, these stylish bar areas deserve a toast.
Ask an Interior Designer: Work-from-Home Edition
Leaping into a design project, whether it's refreshing the bedroom or redoing the whole house, can be overwhelming. Luckily, we know more than a few interior designers. You asked questions on Instagram, and now they're answering.
Collected and Eclectic, ‘Wunderkammern’ Are Back in a Big Way
Introduced nearly 500 years ago, curiosity cabinets are finding new fans among today's collectors and designers.
Meet the Incredible Woman Transforming Fallen Trees into Sleek Furniture
In the hands of New York Heartwoods cofounder Megan Offner, unwanted local trees become works of design art.
These New York Architects Love a Complicated Project
From Brooklyn townhouses to Maine campgrounds, Trattie Davies and Jonathan Toews relish a challenge, like transforming a former warehouse space into the new 1stdibs Gallery.