Established in 2002, ESPASSO is committed to conserving Brazil's rich 20th century design heritage and expanding its global reach, while promoting new creative generations and today's leading designers.
Present in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and London, the gallery represents mid-century modern and contemporary Brazilian designers, and has consolidated itself as a thriving outpost for architects, interior designers, artists, collectors and museum curators, to engage in education and exchange.
The brand has acquired global recognition for its curatorial vision and impeccable services, representing works of the finest execution and enduring cultural relevance.
The Curves of Brazilian Modernism: Onda, Marquesa and Copan Benches The curve has long been an important element of Brazilian furniture design, closely tied to the architectural language of Brazilian modernism and its exploration of fluid, expressive forms. Designed by Jorge Zalszupin in 1960, when L’Atelier was producing furniture for public buildings in Brasília, Brazil’s newly built capital, the Onda Bench reflects this relationship. A continuous sheet of molded wood forms the seat and extends into a leather magazine holder. Today, Etel reissues the piece. In 1974, Oscar Niemeyer and his daughter Anna Maria designed the Marquesa Bench, bringing the curves so present in Niemeyer’s architecture into furniture. Its long, sweeping frame and woven cane seat give the piece a sense of movement while keeping its construction remarkably simple. The Marquesa is also reissued by Etel. Ronald Sasson’s Copan Bench, designed in 2019, makes the architectural reference explicit. Named after Niemeyer’s Edifício Copan in São Paulo, its solid wood form echoes the rhythmic curves of the building’s façade. Designed nearly six decades apart, the Onda, Marquesa, and Copan benches show how the curve continues to reappear in Brazilian design, interpreted by different designers, and through different materials and at different moments. All the while, they maintain a close relationship between form, structure, and movement. 1, 2: Marquesa Bench — Oscar Niemeyer, 1974 | Reissued by Etel 3, 4: Onda Bench — Jorge Zalszupin, 1960 | Reissued by Etel 5, 6: Copan Bench — Ronald Sasson, 2019 Photos by @ben__dehaan , @eliseucavalcante, @macarios
Designed in the late 1970s and reissued exclusively by ETEL, the Cubo Armchair belongs to Jorge Zalszupin’s collection of the same name. Its rigorous geometry marks a departure from the sinuous curves and intricate carved-wood details found throughout much of the designer and architect’s work. The chair is built around a solid, orthogonal structure defined by the precise proportions of a cube. The seat and backrest follow this geometric logic, with visible seams and topstitching emphasizing its clean lines and giving structure to the generous upholstery. The original Cubo was fully upholstered. Over time, the design was carefully revisited by the Zalszupin family archive. This re-edition introduces solid wood elements, adding a new material dimension to the piece while preserving the lightness of the collection and the integrity of Zalszupin’s original design. Cubo Lounge Armchair - Jorge Zalszupin, 1970 | Reissued by Etel Photos captured by @franparente; Etel Photos (@etel.design) Project by @bernardesarq
The Mole Lounge Armchair by Sergio Rodrigues brings a relaxed sense of Brazilian hospitality to this Rio de Janeiro residence, overlooking the Atlantic. The piece reflects Rodrigues’ approach to Brazilian design: inviting and deeply attuned to the way people inhabit a space. Its sculptural frame and generous natural leather cushions embrace the body, creating a quiet vantage point from which to take in the view. The residence captures a fluid dialogue between contemporary architecture and the enduring legacy of Brazil’s modernist masters. Photo captured by @denilsonmachadomca
This collection brings together a curated selection of works by the design duos Dualde Cornelsen and Pali & Jejo Cornelsen. Designer Pali Xisto Cornelsen is the common thread between the two, yet each studio has developed a distinctly independent creative identity. Pali & Jejo Cornelsen’s work is rooted in an intergenerational dialogue between Pali and artist and architect Jejo Cornelsen. Their practice brings together the spatial thinking of interior design and the experimental nature of fine art. Through direct interventions on reclaimed wood and the use of natural pigments, their pieces blur the boundaries between functional furniture and sculptural objects, while carrying forward Brazil’s rich tradition of making. Dualde Cornelsen, a creative partnership between Pali and architect Lucas Jimeno Dualde, draws from experiences across Brazil, Spain, and the United States. Furniture becomes a medium for structural and tactile exploration, bringing together references from across these cultures while expanding the language of contemporary Brazilian design. Photos captured by @eliseucavalcante Conversa Round Dining Table Pali & Jejo Cornelsen, 2025 Conversa Stool Pali & Jejo Cornelsen, 2025 DC Floor to Ceiling Lighting Dualde Cornelsen, 2026 DC Amebic #1 Coffee Table Dualde Cornelsen, 2026 DC Floor Lamp 3 Lighting Dualde Cornelsen, 2026 DC Floor Lamp 2 Lighting Dualde Cornelsen, 2026 DC Wall Lamp Lighting Dualde Cornelsen, 2026 DC Floor Lamp 2 Lighting Dualde Cornelsen, 2026 DC Floor Lamp 3 Lighting Dualde Cornelsen, 2026 DC Wall Lamp Lighting Dualde Cornelsen, 2026 DC Amebic #1 Coffee Table Dualde Cornelsen, 2026 Conversa Three-Part Room Divider Pali & Jejo Cornelsen, 2025 Conversa Three-Part Room Divider Pali & Jejo Cornelsen, 2025
The Curve and the Straight Line The Geometry of Brazilian Modernism In 1955, Le Corbusier published Le Poème de l’angle droit, a series of nineteen lithographs accompanied by texts in which the right angle emerges as a principle of order and a point of connection between man and his environment. Forty-three years later, Oscar Niemeyer wrote in a poem of his own attraction to the free curves he found in Brazil’s mountains and rivers. The tension between these two geometries informed much of twentieth-century architecture and found a natural extension in furniture. Yet the distinction rarely holds when considering a designer’s body of work as a whole. A curved backrest may rest on an orthogonal structure; the rigid plane of a table may soften at its edges. Rather than opposites, the curve and the straight line continually meet, balance, and depend on one another. 1. Amorfa Coffee Table - Arthur Casas, 2017 2. Dominó Concreto Bench - Claudia Moreira Salles, 2024 | Asturias Ottoman - Carlos Motta, 2001 | Caju Coffee Table - Carlos Motta, 2004 3. Cuiabá Dining Chair - Sergio Rodrigues, 1985 | Circular Dining Table - Joaquim Tenreiro, 1950 / Reissued by Etel 4. Barca Armchair - Carlos Motta, 2018 5. Cuiabá Mirror - Sergio Rodrigues, 1985 6. JZ Tea Trolley - Jorge Zalszupin, 1959 / Reissued by Etel 7. Onda Bench, Jorge Zalszupin, 1960 / Reissued by Etel 8. Marquesa Bench - Oscar Niemeyer, 1974 / Reissued by Etel 9. Gaivota 80s Lounge Armchair - Ricardo Fasanello, 1970 | Ayahuasca Sideboard - Arthur Casas, 2022 | FM Table Lighting - Claudia Moreira Salles Photos capture by @macarios, @eliseucavalcante, @demianjacob, @doradebarros__
Niemeyer turned to furniture design in 1971, prompted by a tension he had observed within his own buildings: the furniture introduced into their interiors often felt at odds with the architecture around it. The first chair to emerge from this exploration was the Alta, designed with his daughter Anna Maria Niemeyer. A single continuous curve rises from the floor to support the seat and form the backrest, translating into furniture the architectural language Niemeyer had long explored in concrete. The Alta remains in production today as an authorized re-edition by Etel. Made to order, it is available with a base in lacquered wood or stainless steel and upholstery in a range of fabrics and leathers. Each chair bears an embedded seal of authenticity issued by the Fundação Oscar Niemeyer, ensuring its provenance and its connection to the original design. Alta Lounge Chair, Oscar Niemeyer, 1971 Reissued by Etel Photos captured by @macarios @leonardofinotti @eliseucavalvante
The coffee table transcends its supporting role to become the protagonist of a room. This curation brings together a selection of Brazilian authorial design that resists the obvious and breaks with the conventions of traditional decorating. These are sculptural silhouettes, organic forms, and structural joinery that carry both the historical weight of modernism and the precision of the contemporary avant-garde. Each piece proposes its own dialogue with space, conceived for collectors and connoisseurs who understand design not merely as utility, but as a body of work with enduring value and lasting intellectual impact. 1. Victoria Amazonica, Arthur Casas 2022 2. Petalas, Jorge Zalszupin 1962 | Reissued by Etel 3. DC Amebic #1, Dualde Cornelsen 2026 4. Grampo, Fernando Mendes 2013 5. Cobogó Copacabana, Lia Siqueira 2002 | Reissued by Etel Photos captured by @macarios @eliseucavalcante
While the modernist masters established a distinctly Brazilian language through wood, Claudia brought an almost mathematical rationality to her approach. Her work echoes Joaquim Tenreiro’s pursuit of visual lightness while introducing an entirely original sense of volume, proportion, and form. Photo captured by @ruy_teixeira Her furniture often operates as architecture on a smaller scale. Every line is carefully considered, balancing tension, weight, and support. Structure and form become inseparable, giving each piece a sense of effortless balance. Photo captured by @ruy_teixeira Today, we celebrate Claudia Moreira Salles on her birthday and recognize her invaluable contribution to Brazilian design. A body of work that continues to expand while affirming its place on the global stage. Photo captured by @ruy_teixeira
