This afternoon I received an e-mail from Charlie Smith, an American visitor of my blog that has a furniture store in the USA. He wrote in Portuguese, in which he was very well succeeded, apart from some misspellings, to ask for tips about Brazilian furniture producers. He will come to Brazil in a few weeks and he would like me to give him suggestions. He thought my blog focused on design, and it does not. But… Having a blog is interesting. If you open a window to the world, the world comes in. I will try to help my visitor.

Mr. Smith, I feel challenged and I accept your question. Though I am a great enthusiast of the contemporary design, I am far from being an expert on the Brazilian furniture market. I don’t know who has the best prices, who can be trusted, who cares for ethics, who is concerned about the preservation of the planet. These are things that make the difference when you give tips about this subject in a country that exports wood and furniture made of rare species.

My suggestions on Brazilian design

1- Go South: Rio Grande do Sul State concentrates most of the furniture industry.

2- Check the events: Brazilian industry promotes a lot of fairs, congresses, exhibitions. It debates strategies for the trade. I found an agenda at the Design Brasil website.

3- Prices: I myself feel very sorry for the high prices. Unfortunately most of the best works do not fit in my budget. Almost 99%, I must say.

4- Marcenaria Baraúna: I love when Brazilian traditions mix with minimalism and a contemporary approach. I admire Marcelo Ferraz and Francisco Fanucci for this. You can find the “caipira bench” (banquinho caipira) created by them at the Marcenaria Baraúna: www.barauna.com.br

5- Fernando Jaeger: www.fernandojaeger.com.br Besides being good and famous, his prices are still OK. I love Fernado Jaeger sofas and chairs.

6- Ecology: Amazon Forest is disappearing and I like the idea of furniture made of certified wood. I found Maurício Azeredo while goggling Brazilian designers: www.mauricioazeredo.com.br and I like his style. He recycles. He works with used and demolition wood in his projects.

7- Expensive and cool: Etel Carmona (in English): www.etelinteriores.com.br

8- For kids: Freso

9- Unconventional: Marcelo Rosenbaum: www.rosenbaum.com.br

10 – Sophisticated:Orro & Christensen (only certified wood, in English): www.ocdesign.com.br and Pedro Useche: www.useche.com.br

11- Other suggestions: Brazilian designers reviewed by Arcoweb (a very good on-line magazine about Architecture & Design): arcoweb.com.br/design

12- A website: Design Brasil (in English) – www.designbrasil.org.br

After his trip, I would love to hear from Charlie Smith what he found in Brazil.