Giuseppe Scapinelli

Italian architect Giuseppe Scapinelli was born in Modena and adopted Brazil as his second country in 1948. He was very successful in the 1950s, having opened a furniture and a carpet factory (Fábrica de Móveis Giesse and Fábrica de Tapetes Santa Helena), as well as two shops (Le Rideau and Margutta – where he had his studio) in the city of São Paulo.

European artists would often gather in his studio to discuss world trends and inspirations for furniture and architecture design.

The style of his pieces was easily recognized at the time. Scapinelli was quite conservative when compared to his contemporary peers. While they invested in sharp corners, the Italian’s chairs had soft curves, slender tapered legs and delicate metal details.