‘Pétalas’ Side Table by Jorge Zalszupin for L’Atelier, Brazil, 1959

Designed in 1959, the ‘Pétalas’ side table belongs to an important period in the career of Jorge Zalszupin, when his architectural background increasingly found expression through furniture. Born in Poland and trained as an architect in Europe, Zalszupin settled in Brazil in 1949, eventually establishing himself in São Paulo. There he became closely involved with the development of Brazilian modern design, founding L’Atelier and progressively expanding his practice from handcrafted furniture towards more sophisticated methods of production. Throughout his work, Zalszupin combined a precise understanding of construction with a particular sensitivity to the character of Brazilian woods.

The ‘Pétalas’ side table is a concise example of this approach. Rather than treating the top and supporting structure as separate components, Zalszupin composed the table from four curved sections that meet across the surface and continue downward to form the legs. Their petal-like geometry gives the design its name, while the pronounced wood grain accentuates the transition from the horizontal top into the vertical supports. The result is remarkably economical in construction yet visually complex: a small piece of furniture in which material, structure and geometry become inseparable. Conceived during the same period as some of Zalszupin’s most important early furniture, the Pétalas demonstrates the experimental approach that would become central to his contribution to Brazilian modernism.