GIUSEPPE SCAPINELLI
GIUSEPPE SCAPINELLI
Our featured designer for this month has a unique style that you can identify in all of his pieces. Though his life wasn’t widely documented, his designs played a large part in the Modernist movement in Brazil.
Giuseppe Scapinelli (1891-1982)
Italy, Brazil
Furniture Designer
Scapinelli was born in Modena, studied architecture in Florence, and then eventually moved to São Paulo, where he opened the design studio that would launch his career, Atelier Scapinelli.
Like Brazilian designer Sergio Rodrigues, Scapinelli not only embraced the typical woods of the region — jacaranda, imbuia, rosewood — but his modern designs also suggest influences of Brazilian culture.
Unlike the linear nature of many other modern designers’ work, Scapinelli’s are comprised of gentle curves, tapered edges, and more organic forms.
The resulting pieces have a character unique to him — when you see his work, you recognize it.
Brazilian Caviuna Coffee Table, 1950s (source)
High Back Chairs, 1950s (source)
In the 1950s and early 1960s, Scapinelli and his architect brother, Francesco, worked together to design furniture and furnish Brazilian homes. Though the two brothers’ careers eventually diverged, Scapinelli is said to have continued his creative work up until his death in 1982.
MORE MODERN DESIGNS BY GIUSEPPE SCAPINELLI
Brazilian Chair in Caviuna, 1950s (source)
Sculptural Wood Table, 1960s (source)
Coffee Table, 1950 (source)
Armchair, 1950s (source)
Floor Lamp in Rosewood, Marble, Brass and Crystal, 1950s (source)
High Back Chair in Caviuna, 1950s (source)
Bar Cart in Jacaranda, 1960s (source)