Mid-Century Modern Brazilian Furniture
Founded by the Italian Ernesto Hauner in 1959, with a small factory in São Paulo that produced modular solid wood shelving, the name Mobilinea comes from the Italian words mobile and linea, which mean furniture and line, respectively.
In partnership with her husband, Ernesto Hauner – who, in addition to being one of the business owners, was also responsible for the furniture design – Georgia Hauner worked on showroom planning and producing photographs for decorating magazine editorials and advertising campaigns.
The depictions of domestic interiors that she produced, conceived using modular and mass-produced furniture, contributed to the construction of the social imaginary regarding what was understood, at the time, as a "modern lifestyle."
Mobilínea sought to inspire modernity in the female sphere through its advertisements, taking into account the period of social transformations, with women seeking more independence and freedom.
His designs explored the use of new materials, as well as the use of striking colors in painting furniture (of which he was a pioneer), developing furniture for homes and offices.
It played an important role in the construction of Brazil's new capital, providing institutional furniture and student housing for the University of Brasília (UnB).
He also created pieces in steel, fiberglass, and acrylic, and his work has been recognized with the Roberto Simonsen Award and at the Rio de Janeiro International Design Biennials.
In 1970, John de Souza, then a partner of Ernesto and his wife, Carmute, were wrongly arrested on suspicion of belonging to leftist groups. At that time, Brazil was under a dictatorship, and during their imprisonment, Mobilinea maintained its normal operations, albeit with its telephones tapped. The atmosphere of insecurity was total.
Ernesto was overwhelmed, also fulfilling the duties of his partner. After a year, his partner and his wife were released, yet Mobilinea continued to grow, and in 1972 they decided to open a store where it would be possible to buy various household products in one place. Thus, the first Home Store in the country was born. To make the business viable, several partners joined the company, and suspicions of embezzlement began to arise, as John and Ernesto had lost control of the company.
Faced with these events and with the feeling that they would never integrate into Brazil, in 1975, Ernesto Hauner and his wife Georgia sold their shares and left the country. From then on, the company followed a new path, focusing solely on producing corporate furniture.
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