The September Find · No. 001
Auction begins September 30
A Brazilian post-modern recliner. Sculptural form. Engineered comfort. Enduring value.
The Lafer lineage
The Billie did not appear from nowhere. It belongs to a design lineage that began in a São Paulo storefront and spent decades asking how furniture could be lighter, smarter and more alive.
The house
Benjamin Lafer, a Polish immigrant to Brazil, opens Casa de Móveis Lafer with his wife, Cecília, in São Paulo. What begins as a family furniture business becomes the foundation for one of Brazil’s most inventive design stories.
The architect
After his father’s death, architecture graduate Percival Lafer joins the family firm. His early MP-1 armchair replaces conventional spring-heavy upholstery with a lean structure and layered foam—comfort rethought for modern production.
The Billie
Dealer archives place the Billie’s debut around 2002. Its curved metal arms, exposed structure, hidden footrest and deep recline turn the familiar lounger into something graphic, articulate and unmistakably Lafer.
Dates and individual design credit are being checked against surviving factory material. Where the archive is incomplete, this page says so.
São Paulo, 1927 → Westchester, today
A Polish immigrant’s furniture shop. An architect son pulled into the family trade. A Brazilian design house that made the mechanics of comfort worth looking at.
The designer story
Percival Lafer trained to shape buildings. A family loss changed his scale—from rooms to the bodies resting inside them.
Born in 1936 and educated in architecture at Mackenzie in São Paulo, Lafer entered the family business after his father died unexpectedly. He brought an architect’s eye to industrial furniture: structures were legible, materials behaved honestly and comfort was engineered rather than concealed.
His work helped define a distinctly Brazilian modernism—sensual, pragmatic and designed to be produced. Patents, demountable construction and export-minded manufacturing made the Lafer name travel far beyond Brazil.
Architecture, softened for the body.
Secondary-market sources widely credit the Billie to Percival Lafer, but listings disagree on its date and one misattributes it to company founder Benjamin Lafer. Until a factory catalog or label confirms the individual credit for this example, Westchester Rare Finds treats “Percival Lafer, c. 2002” as a provisional attribution—not a settled fact.
The object
Most recliners bury their mechanics inside a bulky shell. The Billie takes the opposite approach: a lean, arched metal frame suspends softly creased leather in full view. Its silhouette is part lounge chair, part machine-age drawing.
Archived dealer descriptions identify the model as Lafer’s Billie recliner, made in Brazil. The chair moves from an upright 90-degree seat toward a near-flat 170-degree position, with a footrest that appears only when needed. This example’s blue-gray leather and silver frame give the design a cool, almost cinematic presence.
The historical interest is not age alone. The Billie reads as a late distillation of the Lafer house philosophy: let structure become ornament, let movement become theater, and make serious comfort feel visually light.
The model identification is based on a visual match and archived product descriptions. Manufacturer labeling, mechanism and measurements will be shown in the final condition details before the auction begins.
The design archive
Archived examples reveal how dramatically color and recline change the Billie’s character. These photographs document the model—not the blue-gray chair offered in Drop 001.
Not the sale item
Not the sale item
Not the sale item
External photography is included for model identification and historical context. Source links are provided beneath each image.
Published model specifications; final measurements will appear in the auction listing.
Drop 001 · Public auction
A 14-day eBay auction begins September 30, 2026. The starting bid is $1,495.
Dealer preview
Westchester Rare Finds is offering a select group of local design and vintage dealers the opportunity to learn more about this piece before it goes to public auction.
Serious inquiries welcome.
The value story
More than a recliner—a statement in form, function and Brazilian design heritage.
Its scarcity makes the Billie increasingly collectible.
Its sculptural profile appeals to mid-century, modern and contemporary buyers.
Comparable Lafer pieces typically resell for $2,500–$4,500, depending on condition and market.
Brazilian design heritage with a global following.
Estimated retail value (comparables)
$2,500–$4,500 Based on recent market comparisons for Lafer recliners in similar condition. Actual value may vary by market, condition and provenance.Drop 001 · 14-day eBay auction
Starting bid $1,495 · Auction begins September 30, 2026