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 Corner Chair, F.O. Schmidt, Oak Wood Leather, Jugendstil, 1898-1900
By Adolf Loos, Friedrich Otto Schmidt
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
A corner armchair designed by Adolf Loos (1870-1933) and manufactured by Friedrich Otto Schmidt, Vienna, Austria, circa 1900. The condition of the wood is very good. The leather seat...
Leather, Wood
Adolf Loos F.O. Schmidt 1898-1900 Jugendstil Corner Chair
By Adolf Loos, Friedrich Otto Schmidt
Located in Brescia, IT
Extremely rare corner armchair designed by Adolf Loos (1870-1933) Manufactured by Friedrich Otto Schmidt, Vienna, Austria, circa 1900. Very good condition Seat in excellent con...
Straw, Wood
$706
H 25.99 in W 16.93 in D 16.93 in
Antique Rural Dutch Carved Corner Bobbin Chair with New Rush Nr2
Located in Boven Leeuwen, NL
Very charming oak Bobbin chair that fits perfect in a corner. The rush of the seat is new and therefore it is still a bit green but that will soon fade. This chair was made in the ...
Rush, Oak
American Georgian Walnut Upholstered Corner Chair, Circa 1770
Located in Charleston, SC
American Georgian walnut corner chair with carved splat backs, carved decorative molded edge, scrolled arms, turned ringed columns, carved corner fret...
Upholstery, Walnut
Original Adolf Loos Thebes Stool
By Friedrich Otto Schmidt, Woka Lamps, Adolf Loos
Located in Vienna, AT
Wohnung Dr. Otto und Auguste Stoessl, Wien XIII, Auhofstr. 235, um 1900-02 Wohnung Haberfeld Manufacturer Friedricht Otto Schmidt Lit.: Rukschcio, Schachel, Adolf Loos, S. 32 und 7...
Beech
$1,994
H 33.47 in W 22.25 in D 20.08 in
Antique Edwardian Style Triangular Corner Chair Rush Seat Knitting Armchair 1900
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Late 19th century Edwardian style wooden armchair with rush seat, ca 1900 Manufactured in U.K. Beautiful English antique knitting chair with t...
Wicker, Wood
$2,025Sale Price|55% Off
H 33.5 in W 26.5 in D 26.5 in
18th Century Chippendale Corner Chair with Marquetry Inlay
By Thomas Chippendale
Located in Savannah, GA
This outstanding 18th century Chippendale walnut corner chair features intricate marquetry inlay in a delicate floral motif. Even the back of the top rail, splats and the back of the...
Walnut
Pair of 19th Century Carved Oak Corner Chairs
Located in High Point, NC
Pair of 19th century carved oak corner chairs from England with a wonderfully carved back, supports and arms, all depicting acanthus leaves and scrolls. The seats have wonderful carv...
Oak
$853
H 33.67 in W 21.66 in D 16.74 in
Antique French Provincial Triangular Corner Chair, Beech Frame, 1900s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Stunning and elegant Antique French Provincial triangular corner chair. Striking Dutch design from the 1900s. Origina hand-craftedl patinated beech frame with original rush seat. Thi...
Rush, Beech
$1,685
H 31 in W 27.5 in D 26 in
Antique French Carved Oak Corner Arm Chair Renaissance Louis XIV style
Located in Choudrant, LA
Antique French carved oak corner arm chair Renaissance Louis XIV style ~Direct from France~ ~Beautiful carving throughout this versatile antique Fren...
Oak
English Oak Bobbin Corner Chair
Located in Faversham, GB
A superb oversized Victorian bobbin corner chair in oak with a freshly upholstered calico seat cushion. The double railed ladder back rest with si...
Calico, Oak
English Chippendale Oak Splat Back Outset Corner Chair, Circa 1770
Located in Charleston, SC
English Chippendale oak corner chair with a carved molded centered edge, flanking carved splat backs, scrolled outset rounded arms, turned bulbous ringed columns and terminating on t...
Fabric, Oak, Upholstery
$1,292
H 29.14 in W 18.51 in D 18.51 in
Stunning French Corner Chair in Turned Oak and Cane, France, 1930-1940
Located in Pijnacker, Zuid-Holland
Stunning French solid turned oak wood corner chair with original woven cane seat, circa 1930-1940. In very good condition. One leg is slightly bent naturally. The chair is structural...
Cane, Oak
19th Century Antique French Bobbin Rush Corner Chair in Carved Oak
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
French Coin-de-Feu Bobbin-Turned Oak Corner Chair with Rush Seat, circa 1895 An engaging late-19th-century French corner chair, traditionally known as a coin-de-feu chair, handcraft...
Rush, Oak
Adolf Loos F.O. Schmidt 1898-1900 Jugendstil Corner Chair
By Adolf Loos, Friedrich Otto Schmidt
Located in Brescia, IT
Extremely rare corner armchair designed by Adolf Loos (1870-1933) Manufactured by Friedrich Otto Schmidt, Vienna, Austria, circa 1900. Very good condition Seat in excellent con...
Straw, Wood
Sold
H 29.93 in W 22.45 in D 22.45 in
Adolf Loos Corner Chairs, F.O. Schmidt, Velvet Wood, Jugendstil, 1898-1900, Pair
By Friedrich Otto Schmidt, Adolf Loos
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
A pair of extremely rare corner armchairs designed by Adolf Loos (1870-1933) and manufactured by Friedrich Otto Schmidt, Vienna, Austria, circa 1900. The condition is very good. The...
Velvet, Wood