The iconic Paulistano chair is the latest addition to Espasso's collection of super covetable, classic modern furniture.

Although the design now also forms part of MOMA's permanent collection in New York, the Paulistano chair has a rather humble beginning.

Originally commissioned back in 1957 by a home decoration shop on São Paulo’s Rua Augusta Street, the pieces were then used to furnish the Paulistano Athletics Club. The first prototypes were made with the fiber of palm trees, commonly used in the production of hammocks. 

With its single bent steel bar and cover in leather or fabric, the armchair blends industrial functionality with a simple ingenuity.

And its designer?

Architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha - winner of the prestigious Pritzker prize in 2006 and a true reference for Brazilian contemporary architecture. 

Part of the so-called Brutalist movement, he is perhaps most well known for his massive Brazilian Sculpture Museum in São Paulo.

But this small interior piece neatly proves that scale doesn't matter too much if you've got the eye to design...