Etel
The Design Collection comprises one century of Brazilian furniture. With its pioneering reedition work, ETEL brings back graceful designs of the modern Brazilian production - which was only discovered lately and is now considered as one of the most relevant worldwide for that period. Pieces characterized by skillful handiwork and the use of exquisite materials, created by architects and artists intent on unveiling the local culture, under the influence of the international avant-garde. This retrieval is based on a strict methodology, faithfulness to the originals, and intensive collaboration with the institutes and families that represent each creator’s oeuvre. The collection includes pieces by Oscar Niemeyer, Lina Bo Bardi, Jorge Zalszupin, Sergio Rodrigues, Oswaldo Bratke, Branco & Preto and Giuseppe Scapinelli, among others. The modern legacy continues with remarkable contemporary creators such as Isay Weinfeld, Arthur de Mattos Casas, Claudia Moreira Salles, Carlos Motta, Etel Carmona, Lia Siqueira and Dado Castello Branco.
Branco & Preto
In the provincial São Paulo of the 1950s, a group of architects consisting of Roberto Aflalo, Jacob Ruchti, Miguel Forte, Plínio Croce, Carlos Milan and Chen Y Hwa – who was no Brazilian, but Chinese – got together to create a furniture shop that could cater to their modern and sophisticated view of architecture. In 1952, the young vanguardists embraced Aflalo’s idea and founded Branco & Preto, where they sold modern furniture made of Brazilian materials and with impeccable finishing: something completely new at the time. The shop became a reference for architects, who would visit it to become familiar with the trends and discuss the pieces that broke with the traditional, stout lines used until then. It remained open for ten years, during which they created pieces of furniture that still inspire Brazilian designers today. The style pursued by the young architects of Branco & Preto in the 1950s was reedited by ETEL in 2005.