The Sculptural Works of Domingos Tótora

Brazilian designer Domingos Tótora is renowned for creating sculptural pieces that are both sustainable and inspired by natural beauty. The lines, curves and forms of his designs channel the waterways, rock formations and landscapes of his hometown of Maria da Fé, Brazil. Urban living brings its share of challenges, so many design enthusiasts choose to make home a reflection of serenity. A good place to start: Tótora’s works, which evoke the feel of a beautiful natural retreat. Ready for a closer look?…

Accessories

Tótora’s designs are available for purchase through Sossego, an exclusive distributor of modern Brazilian design. Using cardboard that has served its purpose, Tótora reduces it to pulp, blends it with soil and water, hand sculpts it into new pieces, and bakes it in the sun. One result of this artistic process is ânfora lisa, pictured below and in the grouping above. As you can see, natural fibers and pigments infuse his works. Also pictured above is ânfora riscada.

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The vazado bowls featured in the next image are available in a natural or a red-toned (terra) finish. An intersection of lines and spaces brings these centerpieces to life:

Seating

Tótora has designed a range of benches with a sleek, organic feel. Above we see the solo bench, which is hand formed from recycled cardboard pulp and grounded by legs crafted from oxidized iron. Below is the kraft bench, which consists of individually dried layers of repurposed materials. The layers are then glued and pressed into a modern structure:

Gentle waves come together to create the vereda bench, which is hand formed from recycled cardboard pulp. Evoking the feel of a gently curved path, the piece provides a place to rest while admiring the view. It’s hard not to admire the design as well. Oxidized iron legs provide a sturdy base:

From benches to chairs, we now revel in the modern beauty of Tótora’s semine, leiras and casca chairs. Once again, recycled cardboard pulp takes center stage. Pattern and texture add interest.

The horizontal lines of leiras create a sense of tranquility, while the overlapping seat evokes a feeling of simple abundance.

Leaf-like indentations put their special stamp on the semine chair, which is also available with a border.

Tables

We end by highlighting the mesa água. As stated in the product description, the piece “is the picture of a lazy brook. The glass top evokes sunlight sparking on water washing over pebbles smoothed from years of a natural polishing process. The sight of it carries one away to a quiet afternoon of rest.”

Not to mention, the stones you see above and below are solid pieces created by layering cardboard pulp and paste, much in the way that sediment settles in layers in a riverbed.

Curvilinear furnishings and objets d’art are the treasures found in Domingos Tótora’s sculptural catalogue of works. By repurposing cardboard into sustainable pieces, he has given new life to old materials, channeling the mystery of the natural world in the process. For more information, visit Sossego, and check out their new catalogue here.