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 Jugendstil Swivel-Mounted Silk Brass Wall-Lamp, Re-Edition
By Woka Lamps, Adolf Loos
Located in Vienna, AT
Swivel-mounted wall-lamp, measures as desired either with a wall-plate for direct-wiring, or with the cable going down to plug in - in that case a weight can be mounted on the cable ...
Brass
Adolf Loos American Bar Wall Lamp for the Famous Loosbar in Vienna, Re-Edition
By Woka Lamps, Adolf Loos
Located in Vienna, AT
Adolf Loos has used such lamps in several houses such as Villa Steiner 1910, Wohnung Vogl Pilsen 1929, Wohnung Brummel pilsen 1929. The lamps from the American Bar in Vienna are diff...
Brass
Adolf Loos "Haus Scheu" Wall Sconce Vienna, Re-Edition
By Woka Lamps, Adolf Loos
Located in Vienna, AT
A clear and simple wall-sconce for the house of Dr Gustav and Helene Scheu in the 13th district of Vienna, Laroch Gasse Most components according to the UL regulations, with an addi...
Brass
Adolf Loos Nr. 5 for the American Bar Vienna Loos Bar, Re Edition Several Silks
By Woka Lamps, Adolf Loos
Located in Vienna, AT
Adolf Loos has used such lamps in several houses such as Villa Steiner 1910, Wohnung Vogl Pilsen 1929, Wohnung Brummel pilsen 1929. The lamps from the American Bar in Vienna are diff...
Brass
Swing-Arm Wall Sconce
Located in Oakville, CT
Steel Swing-Arm Wall Sconce with Milk Glass Shade Overall Length: 47″ Bracket Height: 29″ Height from top of arm to bottom of bulb: 12 1/4″ Arm Length:...
Steel, Metal
$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
Monumental Murano Glass Table Lamp by Adolf Loos for VeArt, 1970s
By Adolf Loos, VeArt
Located in Mortsel, BE
Large 50cm VeArt Blown Glass Sphere Lamp, Wire Cage, Space Age Italy Monumental table lamp, designed by Austrian architect Adolf Loos and manufactured by the Italian glassmaker VeAr...
Metal
Odyssey Wall Sconce Large
Located in High Point, NC
Serenely emitting light, while projecting its form. The distinctive Odyssey globe is reflected in this fixture by a rounded brass wall plate, spreading a diffuse glow. Available i...
Brass
Adolf Loos Pendant Lamp for VeArt Opal Glass Gold Brass Art Deco, circa 1970
By VeArt, Adolf Loos
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
Glove Mold Wall Sconce
Located in Oakville, CT
Original, vintage Industrial, caged Edison bulb hand glove mold lamp, light, wall sconce. Mold will vary slightly as they are vintage.
Metal
Odyssey Wall Sconce Medium
Located in High Point, NC
Serenely emitting light, while projecting its form. The distinctive Odyssey globe is reflected in this fixture by a rounded brass wall plate, spreading a diffuse glow. Available i...
Brass
Odyssey Wall Sconce Small
Located in High Point, NC
Serenely emitting light, while projecting its form. The distinctive Odyssey globe is reflected in this fixture by a rounded brass wall plate, spreading a diffuse glow. Available i...
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
Amazing Large Pendant Lamp by Adolf Loos for Kalmar
By Wiener Werkstätte, Josef Hoffmann, Adolf Loos, Kalmar Lighting, Florian Schulz
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
Miron Wall Sconce
Located in High Point, NC
Two glass globes balance on either end of a single vertical arm, poised upon a conical brass mount. This stylish linear composition creates a balanced and minimalist impression. A...
Brass
Pair of Alabaster Sconces
Located in New York, NY
Sweeping curves and creamy stone the color of custard, give a dreamy, soft ambiance to your interior.
Alabaster