Posted by We have already talked about the cobogó, the ever-present concrete feature created in Brazil back in the 1920s as a solution to ventilate rooms, nowadays a decorative item in its own right and available in many graphic variations.
When we found an example where cobogó met caning, we loved it even more. São Paulo-based architect Cícero Ferraz da Cruz created a new type of cobogó inspired in the chair weaving patterns of caning resulted in a project that unites two elements full of Brazilian character.
The cement pieces formed the beautiful panel of 5 x 6m seen above, now on display at Farm, a Brazilian womenswear chain, where caning was also used for the shop façade.
Caning, a traditional type of chair-weaving craft deriving from peeled bark or skin of the rattan vine, is very commonly seen in Brazil as a main feature of chairs, tables, bed headboards and other items.
The exact origin of caning is unknown, but fine furniture makers of Portugal introduced cane seating in the late 17th century. Items were then exported in large numbers to the US and other colonies including Brazil, where it became very fashionable.
Caning furniture in Brazil peaked in the 1950s and 1960s, then declined in the following decades. By the 1990s, many beautiful chairs made with these beautiful patterns would often be abandoned on the street and experts in caning renovations becoming very scarce, since there was not a lot of caning furniture around anymore.
Thankfully, the interior design, architecture and fashion industries have now brought caning and its unique patterns back to the mainstream, as seen in these two caning-inspired interior design schemes by São Paulo-based designer Marcelo Rosenbaum, seen below. We like it!