Incollect Magazine - Issue 3

2022 Incollect Magazine 91 Zalszupin’s “Petalas” coffee table (below) and side tables are constructed with origami-like “petals” of Brazilian rosewood, originally designed to utilize the leftover pieces from another of his designs, the “Andorinha” coffee table. workshop that Rodrigues established in 1955 in Rio de Janeiro and which he later referred to as ‘a laboratory for Brazilian furniture and handicrafts’. The designs that were executed and manufactured here were pivotal in the flowering of modern Brazilian design. Most dealers and designers believe that the appetite will only continue to grow for Brazilian mid-century design, and they have refocused their attention to reflect the current interest. The challenge remains to find and source the best material for clients. “The world has caught up to Brazilian design,” Mellone says, “and so the things are getting harder and harder to get.” He points also to the entry into the market of celebrity collectors, such as Miuccia Prada, who has been buying large quantities of Brazilian modern furniture through dealers. Mellone uses Brazilian furniture in all kinds of residential projects, from New York apartments to country homes and beach houses. “The appeal is timeless,” he says. “My clients understand that this specific period style fits and matches with a lot of other things, as most of our interiors I like to define as mixes. Every designer has their own mixes, and we have ours, and ours just include a lot of Brazilian furniture. Our clients understand that and appreciate in particular the quality of the materials, the amazing handmade manufacturing that is so transparent, and the design itself.”