Brazil has a very unique identity in furniture design and other home items. Inspired by the nation’s cultural background and the multiplicity of material resources, as well as by the production – with typical techniques, colors, and forms – of each region of the country, which is home to various ethnicities, traditions, biomes, climates, tastes, and needs. Therefore, this combination of elements is what defines the innovative and competitive potential of the companies and products that are brought to the world through the Brazilian Furniture Project, an initiative of ABIMÓVEL (The Brazilian Furniture Manufacturers Association) and ApexBrasil (The Brazilian Trade and Investments Promotion Agency).
A strategic part of the Brazilian Furniture Project, which aims to increase exports, expanding the internationalization and participation of the Brazilian furniture industry in the global market, Design Brazil + Industry aims to operate at all stages of product development, from conception to production and commercialization.
By connecting furniture designers and manufacturers, the program promotes the interaction between the industrial and the handmade world, resulting in pieces and collections that combine creativity and technology, as well as trends, sustainability, production efficiency, and economic viability, with some of these products having been presented on the world’s largest furniture stage: the Salone del Mobile.Milano.
In addition to ten Brazilian companies that were exhibited in four different spaces at the fair, pieces developed by 30 designers and 21 furniture manufacturers connected through Design Brazil + Industry were also on display at iSaloni 2023.
With more than 1900 exhibitors, including 550 new design talents, this year’s iSaloni once again showed that the furniture industry is a fertile ground for innovation.
The participation of these Brazilian companies and professionals alongside the world’s largest brands, therefore, demonstrates once again the synergy of the national furniture sector with the international market, while highlighting all the particularities that make up the so-called “Brasilidade” or “Brazilianness”: the trademark of the country’s design, known for its natural raw materials, especially native wood and other elements such as fibers and ropes, leathers, fabrics, wools, and weaves; organic colors; sustainable practices and special techniques; as well as shapes that seem to materialize the popular Brazilian rhythm.
“The development of pieces and collections is a complex process that involves several stages, from market research and product conception to large-scale production and distribution. Design Brazil + Industry provides support for the various stages of this process, collaborating not only in aesthetic terms but also in efficiency, so that our industry can develop products of increasingly higher quality that meet the desires and needs of both the national and international markets,” emphasizes Cândida Cervieri, executive director of ABIMÓVEL.
Are you curious to find out or even see once again the pieces presented by the Brazilian furniture companies and designers in Milan this year?
Check out the exclusive book of the Brazilian Furniture Project for Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023:
Brazilianess as a Concept
To receive and exalt all this work, the curation of the activities of the Brazilian Furniture Project at iSaloni 2023 was entrusted to Liana Tessler, who is responsible for the architecture and interior design office that bears her name and is known for her work on installations with playful and experimental character. For the occasion, the choice of “Brazilianess” as a theme reinforced the characteristics of national production, as well as the sustainable concern and the option for local raw materials and talents.
To amplify these details that could be seen in the products presented, the exhibition space also followed the concept, opting for an orthogonal, clean, and striking architecture, with different heights that created differentiated volumes, as well as bringing movement and rhythm to the environment, composed of ropes, images that highlighted the tropical flora of the country, in addition to lighting designed to highlight the furniture. “In this way, we aim to show the plural potential of Brazilian design in a playful way, by creating a scenario that invited visitors to explore forms, materials and question the aesthetics and functionality of objects,” says Liana.
The professional will also be responsible for curating the Brazilian participation at ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair), which takes place in New York, United States, already in this month of May.
The NY Trade Mission will be held on the 18th and 19th, with 26 companies participating in business rounds with international buyers; while the fair is promoted from May 21 to 23, featuring the exhibition of 14 Brazilian industries, as well as 14 designers and 13 brands participating in the actions through Design Brazil + Industry. And, of course, we can’t wait to share all the details with you!
Brazilian Furniture Project
The Brazilian Furniture Project is an initiative developed by ABIMÓVEL (The Brazilian Furniture Manufacturers Association) and ApexBrasil (The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency), which aims to increase the participation of the Brazilian industry in the international market through a set of strategic actions based on the foundations of sustainability, competitiveness, and design integrated into the industry.
About ABIMÓVEL
ABIMÓVEL (The Brazilian Furniture Manufacturers Association) has been working for over 30 years to strengthen the Brazilian furniture industry. With a proactive agenda and in partnership with the public and private sectors, the organization works to boost production and improve the business environment in Brazil, providing opportunities and opening new markets for companies throughout the wood and furniture chain by implementing various initiatives aimed at promoting competitiveness and innovation in the field, including export programs, sustainability, design integrated into the industry, factory adequacy, increasing micro and small businesses, commercial intelligence, among others.
About ApexBrasil
ApexBrasil (The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency) works to promote Brazilian products and services abroad and attract foreign investments to strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy. To achieve its objectives, the agency carries out diverse commercial promotion initiatives that aim to promote exports and add value to Brazilian products and services abroad, such as prospective and commercial missions, business rounds, support for national companies to participate in major international fairs, visits by foreign buyers and opinion leaders to learn about the Brazilian industrial structure, among other business platforms that also aim to strengthen Brazil as a brand.
FURNITURE: OUR BUSINESS!
