Percival Lafer
Percival Lafer was born in Brazil in 1936. The architect, product and furniture designer is known for his fine design that was offered at affordable prices. Collectors categorize him as the “best kept secret” of mid-century design. Lafer is seldom understood or known outside of Brazil, as he left an indelible mark on Brazilian design.
Lafer studied architecture at the prestigious Mackenzie Presbyterian University in Sao Paulo. After he graduated, his father passed away unexpectedly. This left the family in shambles. His fathers furniture shop was left to his sons. It’s at this point where Lafer decides to abandon his career in architecture to pursue furniture design. Afterall, it was much easier to take over this inherited business than pave a new path in architecture.
The first creation Lafer launched was the MP-1 armchair in 1961. The chair became an instant success. It features a T-shaped steel base, coated in thin pieces of rosewood and a sumptious upholstered seat made of various layers of foam, rather than springs. This made the design aesthetically pleasing while also maintaining the up-most comfortability. The success of this design provided Lafer with much needed leverage to get his company established. He went on to secure many patents for his designs and ultimately earned him a reputation for his innovation and originality in the industry. This newfound confidence pushed him to name his brand, Lafer MP - the acronym MP standing for Movies Patentados or patented furniture.
Percival Lafer MP1 lounge chairs Brazil,1961
It was important to Lafer to create designs that could be sold at affordable prices for the middle classes with a focus on mass production. His modernist lens shaped each design approach. In 1965, he released the MP-041 series which featured seats made of solid wood frames and pre-shaped, hand-padded cushions. What held the most significance of this series was its ability to be disassembnled and reassembled, allowing for flat-pack delivery that resulted in lower shipping costs.
His other notable designs include the MP-115 lounge chair (1960s), MP-89 armchair (1970), the MP-091 (1972), the MP-071 armchair (1973), MP-061 (1973), the S1 collection (1975), and the MP-163 armchair (1976).
Lafer is known for this material choices. Opting for polished steel as the structural framework- ensuing a modern aesthetic, and combining it with exotic woods and high quality leathers. The world began hearing of his meticulous pieces and they started being imported into the US, Western Europe and Scandinavia.
His originality and innovative ideas combined with superior craftsmanship proved to be the factors of his great success. Now, he is known as the pioneer of Brazilian modernism. What’s quite funny is the fact that despite all of his successes, Lafer never considered himself a furniture designer: "I love to make physical objects, and I’m constantly thinking about all the ways I can improve them."
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