Sergio Rodrigues Burton Table

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.

Antique and vintage dining room tables have long been the anchor of the home's most social room. The round pedestal and long banquet forms most collected today trace back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when the dining room itself first came into fashion.

Styles to Know

Round and oval tables suit smaller or open-plan rooms, while rectangular pedestal and trestle tables remain the standard for larger, more formal spaces. A credenza adds extra serving storage nearby, and a vintage wall mirror overhead opens up the room. For layout ideas, browse 20 dining rooms arranged for entertaining.

How to Choose the Right Vintage Dining Table

A dining table is usually the largest piece in the room, which makes delivery details worth confirming: White Glove service, disassembly options, and the table's full length, leaves included, measured against the space you have. Every table comes from a vetted 1stDibs seller, with era, designer and condition detailed, backed by the 1stDibs Promise.