Essentially dubbed the Frank Llyoyd Wright of Europe by Wright himself, Adolf Loos possessed a talent for architecture and interior design as potent as his outspoken criticism of Art Nouveau and excessive ornamentation. A forerunner of the International Style, Loos exercised immense restraint in his building projects as well as his designs for chairs, tables, storage pieces and other furniture, and wrote prolifically on his disdain for taking a decorative approach to architecture.
The son of a stonemason and sculptor, Loos was born in 1870 in what is now Brno in the Czech Republic. He studied architecture in Dresden in 1889, completed a year of military service and moved to the United States by 1893. He visited the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and came to appreciate the American approach to design over his three-year stay before returning to Vienna.
An avid proponent of simplicity, Loos hated fluff above all else. In his best known essay, “Ornament and Crime,” he states “the evolution of culture is synonymous with the removal of ornamentation from objects of everyday use” — a principle evident in both his architectural work and furniture. His writing was profoundly influential for practitioners of the International Style that would emerge later as well as the likes of prolific Swiss-born French architect and modernist prophet Le Corbusier.
Loos challenged the prevailing architecture and decorating styles of his time, and disliked the ornate work associated with the Vienna Secession and Gesamtkunstwerk — the concept of a house as total work of art — an ideal pursued by a collective born from the Secession called the Wiener Werkstätte. To Loos, design should prioritize function, and any ornamentation devoid of a structural purpose was childish and unnecessary.
Loos’s furniture — alongside the work of fellow Austrian architect Josef Hoffman — was the subject of an exhibition at the Museum of Applied Arts in 2014. His architecture projects, including the Viennese Goldman and Salatsch building, the Austrian Steiner House and the Villa Müller in Prague, are celebrated by design enthusiasts all over the world.
Find vintage Adolf Loos seating, lighting and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Adolf Loos Anglo Austrian Bank-Variation, Flush Mount Art Deco, Re-Edition
By Adolf Loos, Woka Lamps
Located in Vienna, AT
The Anglo-Austrian Bank, founded 1864 with british capital, was an austrian Bank in Vienna. In 1913, the bank had 43 branches. In 1914, Adolf Loos was commissioned with the renovatio...
Brass
Adolf Loos "Cafe Museum" Lamp by the Wiener Werkstätte, Re Edition
By Adolf Loos, Woka Lamps
Located in Vienna, AT
Originally manufactured at the Wiener Werkstaette Atelier, now custom-made production at the Woka Lamps Workshop in Vienna. Exhibited at the Art Basel Miami 2020 Sockets: 3 x Edison ...
Brass
$2,572
H 17.5 in Dm 9.7 in
Small Art Deco Alabaster Flush Mount / Pendant w. Bronzed Stem, Finial & Canopy
Located in Lisse, NL
Unique and small size, two-light, white alabaster ceiling lamp of superb quality and condition. This light fixture from the heydays of the European Art Deco era will light up both y...
Alabaster, Brass, Bronze
French Art Deco Milk Glass Large Flush Mount, Bronze Mounted, 1950s
Located in Frankfurt am Main, DE
A large Art Deco leaded glass ceiling lamp with bronze mounts, France 1950s. Beautiful large conical milky white glass shade reflecting a pleasan...
Bronze, Lead
$2,950
H 11 in W 16 in D 16 in
Wonderful French Art Deco Silvered Bronze and Art Glass Flush Mount Fixture
Located in Roslyn, NY
A wonderful French Art Deco silvered bronze and art glass flush mount fixture set with four lights inside.
Bronze
$3,484
H 6.5 in Dm 18 in
Large Art Deco Faceted Crystal Gilt Bronze 5-Light Flush Mount, Austria, 1950s
Located in Frankfurt am Main, DE
A beautiful, large Art Deco faceted crystal and cast gilt bronze flush mount, Austria, 1950s. With five light sockets providing a bright, warm light from the ceiling. This wonderful ...
Crystal, Bronze, Brass
French Art Deco Flush Mount or Pendant Chandelier by Muller Freres
By Muller Frères
Located in Long Island City, NY
A French Art Deco flush mount was created by the French artist "Muller Freres". The shade dimensions are 13.25" in diameter by 4.5" in Depth in clear frosted glass with intricate geo...
Glass
$5,990
H 9 in Dm 11.88 in
French Art Deco Brass & Glass Flush Mount, Style Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, C 1925
By Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
Located in New York, NY
An Elegant and Classic French Art Deco / Early Mid-Century Modern Flush Mount fixture or pendant in the style of Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann. The brass is composed of an antique brass rou...
Brass
$5,800 / set
H 14.17 in Dm 11.81 in
Adolf Loos Pair Pendant Lamps for VeArt Opal Glass Gold, circa 1960
By VeArt, Adolf Loos
Located in Vienna, AT
Pair of Adolf Loos pendant lamps for VeArt opal glass gold, circa 1960. Sold as a pair. Rare Reedition of the original design by Adolf Loos for VeArt, Italy. Priced per pair. Measur...
Metal
Austrian Art Nouveau Brass and Glass Dodekaeder Lamp by Adolf Loos
By Adolf Loos, Friedrich Otto Schmidt
Located in Vienna, AT
Original and rare Viennese Art Nouveau brass Dodekaeder pendant light designed by Adolf Loos, produced ca 1900 by Friedrich Otto Schmidt. It features beautiful facetted cut pentagon ...
Brass
6 Light Adolf Loos Ring Hanging Chandelier
By Adolf Loos
Located in North Miami, FL
This chandelier is a vintage rendition of the original, first used in 1899 at the Café Museum, later for the apartment of Leopold Goldman, the builder of the iconic "Looshaus, Goldma...
Brass
Adolf Loos Pendant Lamp for VeArt Opal Glass Gold Brass Art Deco, circa 1970
By Adolf Loos, VeArt
Located in Vienna, AT
Adolf Loos pendant lamp for VeArt, produced circa 1970 Rare Re-edition of the original design by Adolf Loos from circa 1910. Large 16" Elegant hand blown glass globe worked into a s...
Metal
Amazing Large Pendant Lamp by Adolf Loos for Kalmar
By Josef Hoffmann, Kalmar Lighting, Adolf Loos, Florian Schulz, Wiener Werkstätte
Located in München, DE
Very rare and large pendant lamp by Adolf Loos from the 1950s. The high-quality materials, such as the new seagrass lampshade, make this lamp a unique design object. It creates a ver...
Brass
$2,221
H 16.5 in Dm 13.7 in
Stunning Antique Art Deco Alabaster Pendant / Flush Mount with Amazing Colors
Located in Lisse, NL
Great & small shape and warmest colors, alabaster light fixture. Looking for a light that brings both character and warmth to your home? This stunning alabaster pendant could be jus...
Alabaster, Metal, Brass, Bronze