Lina Bo Bardi left her mark on Brazilian design with furniture that combines modernist ideals with popular culture traduzido por: OPENROUTER
Submitted at Aug 19, 2026, 2:00 PM
Lina Bo Bardi em meio às cadeiras do auditório do primeiro MASP, na Rua Sete de Abril, em São Paulo. (Galerie Brazil Modernist/Divulgação)
Lina Bo Bardi is one of the great names of Brazilian modern architecture and her contribution to design also deserves attention. Born in Italy in 1914, the architect arrived in Brazil in 1946 and found in the country fertile ground to develop a body of work deeply connected to local culture, materials, and ways of life.
Lina Bo Bardi em sua residência, sentada em uma Poltrona de Três Pés, criada em parceria com Giancarlo Palanti no Studio Arte Palma. (Divulgação/Divulgação)
Throughout her career, she created furniture, objects, and solutions that went beyond the idea of simple functional pieces: they were experiments on the body, materials, manufacturing, and the very way of occupying spaces.
Lina Bo Bardi's approach to design began in the early years of her trajectory in Brazil. In 1948, she took part in the creation of Studio d'Arte Palma, alongside Pietro Maria Bardi and Giancarlo Palanti, an initiative devoted to the production of modern furniture.
Exposição Lina Bo Bardi e Giancarlo Palanti: Studio d’Arte Palma, 1948–1951, organizada pela galeria Nilufar e apresentada durante a Semana de Design de Milão de 2018. (Nilufar/Divulgação)
The studio sought to reconcile industrial techniques and Brazilian materials, exploring wood, leather, and fabrics in pieces that also engaged with references from popular culture. For Lina, furniture should not be merely a beautiful object: it had to respond to everyday needs and provide new forms of interaction between body and space.
Mobiliário de Lina Bo Bardi: 1. Carrinho de Chá LBB; 2. Cadeira Girafa; 3. Poltrona Tripé; 4. Mesa de mosaico (Casa de Vidro); 5. Cadeira Bola de Latão; 6. Poltrona Bowl; 7. Cadeira Frei Egídio; 8. Cadeira dobrável do MASP (Sete de Abril). (Ruy Teixeira/Nelson Kon/Divulgação/Divulgação)
Created in 1948 for Studio Arte Palma, the LBB Tea Cart combines wood and geometric shapes in a light and functional structure. The piece translates Lina's pursuit of modern furniture that was also attentive to materials and production possibilities in Brazil.
Developed in 1986 in partnership with Marcelo Ferraz and Marcelo Suzuki, the Giraffe Chair was created for the Casa do Benin restaurant in Salvador. With a solid wood structure and a tall backrest, it became one of the most recognized pieces of furniture from the collaboration between Lina and Marcenaria Baraúna.
Created during the Studio Arte Palma period, the Tripod Armchair explores a simple structure combined with a suspended leather or canvas surface. The solution evokes hammocks and demonstrates Lina's interest in more informal ways of sitting, closer to Brazilian culture.
The table with a top covered in small colorful stones stands out for the contrast between the handcrafted surface and the modern metal structure. The piece highlights Lina's interest in combining materials, textures, and popular references.
Designed in 1951 for the Glass House, the Brass Ball Chair features a metal structure whose front legs rise and end in two golden spheres. Almost sculptural in character, only six units were produced for the residence of Lina and Pietro Maria Bardi.
Perhaps Lina's most famous piece of furniture, the Bowl was created in 1951 from a hemispherical seat supported by a metal structure. Inspired by the bowls used by caiçaras, the piece allows the user to adjust its position, placing the body and comfort at the center of the design. Today, it is part of the MoMA collection in New York.
Created in 1987 by Lina Bo Bardi, Marcelo Ferraz, and Marcelo Suzuki, the Frei Egídio was developed for the Gregório de Mattos Theater and Foundation, in Salvador. Foldable and built in wood, the chair was born from a practical need and became one of the most remarkable examples of Lina's partnership with Marcenaria Baraúna.
Designed in 1947 for the small auditorium of MASP's first headquarters, on Rua Sete de Abril, the chair was inspired by models used in circuses. Foldable and stackable, its simple solution responded directly to the needs of the space and is considered one of the first modernist chairs in Brazil.
A Casa de Vidro foi um espaço de convivência, experimentação e criação para Lina Bo Bardi, onde arquitetura, design, arte e natureza se encontravam no cotidiano. (Nelson Kon/Divulgação)
The Glass House, designed by Lina in 1950 and completed in 1951, can also be understood as a great laboratory for interior experimentation. The architect did not think of architecture separately from the objects that occupied it: furniture, lighting fixtures, and decorative elements were part of the conception of the space.
Localizado junto à Casa de Vidro, o ateliê funcionava como um espaço de trabalho e criação, onde Lina desenvolvia projetos e reunia referências para sua produção em arquitetura, design e artes. (Nelson Kon/Divulgação)
Among the pieces created for the residence is the Brass Ball Chair, produced in only six units, with a structure that stands out for its raised front legs and golden spheres. The house also received different experiments in furniture and objects developed by Lina herself.
Lina Bo Bardi's work remains current because it questions the separation between architecture, design, art, and culture. Her furniture shows that Brazilian modernism could incorporate local materials, popular references, and different forms of use without giving up innovation.
As poltronas Bowl, criadas por Lina Bo Bardi em 1951, ganharam uma versão industrializada pela italiana Arper, distribuída no Brasil pela Dpot. (Divulgação/Divulgação)
Decades after its creation, pieces such as Bardi's Bowl continue to be produced in new editions, while other furniture and objects are recovered from drawings, photographs, and documents preserved by the Bardi Institute.
traduzido por: OPENROUTER
