OF BRASILIS crafts wooden three-legged chairs for curbside conversations

Multidisciplinary practice OF BRASILIS reinvents Brazilian furniture design with MEIO-FIO, a three-legged chair. Part of the B de Brasilis collection and under the creative direction of architect and designer Julia Nogueira, the chair is inspired by cultural customs, expressions, and experiences — particularly the idea of sitting on the sidewalk and having casual conversations with neighbors.

The chairs are made of solid boxwood for colorful finishes in palm green and danube blue. Its design is light, simplified, and balanced with a cadence between horizontal and vertical lines that bring dynamism to the pieces, particularly highlighted when configured together.

all images by Israel Lima

Adopting a nuanced approach to furniture design and communication, the B de Brasilis collection looks to the past, paying homage to creations by artists such as Lina Bo Bardi, Joaquim Tenreiro, José Zanine Caldas, and Sérgio Rodrigues; big Brazilian names who popularized three-support objects. The concept of MEIO-FIO derives from the movement common in the interior of Brazilian cities and some outskirts of capitals, evoking the familiarity of curbside conversation.

For this chair, the team at OF BRASILIS aimed to use the minimum material necessary to create a practical design that is easy to replicate. The natural finish version, made from pequiá wood, is lighter, and more balanced, while woods are 100% Brazilian and cause minimal environmental harm upon disposal. The three-legged support, which inverts towards the front, distinguishes from other designs by rethinking the positioning of the legs.

the chair is designed precisely to facilitate the banal conversations that arise on the sidewalk

OF BRASILIS sought to use the minimum possible material

the three-legged support, which inverts towards the front, distinguishes from other designs

MEIO-FIO is inspired by cultural customs, expressions, and experiences

detail of the backrest