The specialized production of modern furniture in Brazil spread through the 1950s, with the consolidation of modern architecture, in a process that would culminate in the construction of Brasília. The differentiation of design work between the industry design manager and the craftsman with an ancient tradition is evident. This paradigm shift in production has been so contrasting that even today it is controversial to consider an artisan as a type of designer.
Design gained much more space in Latin American countries in the 1990s and 2000s. Also influenced by the Internet and the evolution of technology, today or the aesthetic value is present in all objects, including devices and electronic devices, which combine resources with visual aspect. The mass reproduction of pieces signed by artists has become a feature of today’s Brazilian furniture design.
A fundamental part of the characteristics of modern Brazilian furniture design is its simplicity and efficient design. Therefore, since their first characteristics, they are believed to consider their environmental impact and lose in the long run, avoiding their rapid obsolescence.
Brazilian furniture uses wood as the main raw material for the realization of its language, both at the functional, technical and constructive level, as well as at the formal and symbolic level. Apparently, this condition derives from the diversity of species existing in its territory and the remarkable presence of wood in Brazil, relating its colonial heritage. This situation leads us to understand this as a tradition, to create labor and craft production, to involve objects of daily use, furniture and own residence.
The development of this fact can be registered in a Brazilian culture of furniture design, which is constituted for a long time of action and recognition of modern Brazilian movement, in architecture and urbanism and in furniture.
The modern style is also a return to basics and, therefore, values the use of everyday or natural materials, prevents overly elaborated components. The bright stars are traditional wood, glass, leather, cement, natural fibers, manufactured untreated and, mainly, metals, widely used in modernist decoration, of glossy furniture. The use of received materials, such as water hoses, springs and even stuffed animals, is also explored in the creative composition of many pieces of Brazilian furniture.
After long years, the sector has turned its eyes to independent Brazilian designers and helped publicize what kind of art should go hand in hand with environmental awareness. Authorial work combined with the knowledge of communities and artisans who master ancient techniques is a great way to create contemporary pieces that identify Brazilian furniture as one of the most attractive and innovative in the world today.