Details
About this piece
Brazilian architect-designer Sergio Rodrigues was born in 1927 in Rio de Janeiro to a family of prominent artists and intellectuals. He studied at the National School of Architecture in Rio de Janeiro. After graduating in 1952, Rodrigues began to focus more on furniture design, and, in partnership with Italian designers the Hauner brothers, opened Moveis Artesanal Paranaense, the first modern art and furniture store in Curitiba. In 1955, he founded Oca, an Ipanema-based brand focused on the development of modern Brazilian furniture. He remained with the company until 1968. Between 1963 and 1968, Rodrigues also worked at Meia-Pataca, a design firm that specialized in series production and affordable furniture.
Recognized internationally as one of Brazil’s most influential modern designers, Rodrigues has since focused on creating furniture lines for international industrial production, hotels, offices, and residences, including a variety of work for pre-fab homes. Several of his designs have graced the interiors of Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer’s Brasilia buildings. Perhaps Rodrigues’ most famous project, however, is the Mole armchair (1957), which won first prize at the 1961 International Furniture Competition in Italy and attracted international recognition. Produced by ISA in Italy, the chair was sold internationally under the name Sheriff.
Rodrigues’s work champions the Brazilian identity, often drawing inspiration from traditional forms and utilizing native materials, such as Peroba, Jacaranda, and Imbuia woods.
- Brand & Designer
- Sergio Rodrigues
- Color
- Brown
- Style
- Brazilian
- Material
- Rosewood
- Condition
- Good
- Dimensions (cm)
- W 60D 60H 66
Design Story
Born in 1927 in Rio de Janeiro, Rodrigues trained as an architect before turning to furniture design during a period when Brazil was developing its own modern cultural identity. While European modernism often favored strict minimalism, Rodrigues introduced a softer and more expressive approach built around comfort, natural materials, and craftsmanship.
His most iconic creation, the Mole Chair, became an international symbol of Brazilian design. Designed in 1957, the chair featured a heavy wooden frame paired with oversized leather cushions suspended by straps, creating a look that felt both luxurious and deeply informal. It challenged the idea that modern furniture needed to be rigid or austere.
Throughout his career, Rodrigues embraced native Brazilian woods and traditional artisanal techniques, helping establish a uniquely Brazilian design language rooted in texture, sensuality, and relaxed living. His furniture often felt architectural yet inviting, balancing sculptural presence with exceptional comfort.
Today, Sergio Rodrigues remains one of the most influential figures in Latin American design history. His work continues to appear in galleries, luxury interiors, and design collections around the world, representing a vision of modernism that feels human, warm, and unmistakably Brazilian.
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