Born in 1936, he graduated in Architecture from Universidade Mackenzie, in São Paulo. At a very young age, just graduating from college, he had to take over, together with his brothers, his father’s furniture company, Lafer. As a result, his passion for architecture could not be fully exercised. Some examples of his work as an architect include houses designed for personal friends, drawings of street furniture and architectural components.

In 1961, he launched the MP-1 armchair. With a slender profile, its upholstery radically eliminated the traditional steel springs used until then, as it only used a sheet of polyurethane foam supported by rubber straps. The apparent structure that supported the armrests and feet was also slender but robust, as it used metal profiles associated with wood.

Percival Lafer’s work as an industrial designer left an indelible mark on the furniture segment in Brazil. Since his first project, his work has always been marked by boldness and originality. For him, each project should reflect the state of the art applied to innovative ideas. Thus, through his way of interpreting a contemporary design, original projects emerged, many of them protected by patents. This practice led him to create the acronym MP, (for Patented Furniture), which became part of the company’s logo. The MP Lafer brand was born.