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.
Rare Pair of Vienna Modernist "Café Capua" Chairs, Model No. 519 by Adolf Loos
By Thonet, Adolf Loos
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
An exceptionally rare and highly collectible pair of Austrian modernist bentwood side chairs, Model No. 519, famously known as the "Café Capua" chair. Designed in 1913 by the pioneer...
Beech, Bentwood
Vintage set of seven 1930's huge Thonet café chairs
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Set of Early 20th Century Thonet Chairs (Model No. 3) This beautiful set of bentwood armchairs originates from the early 20th century and is believed to have been produced by the Th...
Wood
Adolf Loos (1870-1933) Secessionist Bench, Thonet No.6150
By Adolf Loos
Located in London, GB
A rare Viennese Secessionist bench by Austrian and Czechoslovak architect and influential European theorist Adolf Loos (1870-1933). Produced by Thonet, Austria, circa 1915. Stain...
Wood
$1,696 / item
H 34.2 in W 17.3 in D 20.8 in
Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH Loos Cafe Museum Chair in Dark Walnut
By Adolf Loos, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A refined and timeless object. Elegance, shape lightness and everyday life. Adolf Loos’s famous chair has today been revived thanks to new production techniques that successfully leave its artisan quality unaltered. Inspired by Thonet catalogue models nos. 14 and 30, and Kohn catalogue model no. 248, the Loos Café...
Wood
Original Adolf Loos Thebes Stool
By Adolf Loos, Friedrich Otto Schmidt, Woka Lamps
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
Classic Set 6 Thonet No. 18 Bentwood Bistro Dining Chairs
By Thonet
Located in Buffalo, NY
Classic set 6 Thonet Bentwood Dining /Bistro chairs, model # 18.Labeled Made in Czechoslovakia.Nuce clean matched set, Retains original warm honey blonde fini...
Bentwood
Bentwood & Vienna Straw Barstool-Pair
By Thonet
Located in Medina, OH
Pair of beautifully preserved Pair of Art Nouveau Bentwood and Vienna Straw Bentwood Barstools. The barstools are constructed of bent beechwood that is stained in a rich walnut, and...
Beech, Bentwood
$42,670 / set
H 29.5 in W 22.75 in D 17.5 in
Josef Hoffmann 'Fledermaus' Chairs Model No.728, Set of Ten
By Jacob & Josef Kohn, Josef Hoffmann
Located in Dallas, TX
A scarce set of ten early first edition "Fledermaus" chairs designed by Josef Hoffmann for the Wiener Werkstatte and featured in the J. & J. Kohn catalogues as model no. 728. Hoffman...
Leather, Wood
$3,407 / set
H 32.49 in W 18.51 in D 17.33 in
4 Thonet Chairs, Model Prague No. 811, First Half of the 20th Century
By Thonet, Josef Hoffmann
Located in Herentals, BE
The chairs were designed by Josef Hoffmann for Thonet around 1920 and executed by FMG - Fabryka Mebli Gietych - in Poland in the first half of the 20th century. They have been reupho...
Fabric, Bentwood
Rare Kohn Dining or Side Chair No. 20
By J & J Kohn & Mundus
Located in Vienna, AT
Beautiful bentwood construction with perforated plywood seat from the 1900. Excellent restored. Two pieces available.
Bentwood, Plywood, Beech
$1,727Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 27.96 in W 20.87 in D 19.69 in
1980s Set of 6 Rare Dining/Side Chairs by TON
By Thonet
Located in Praha, CZ
- made in Czechoslovakia - newly upholstered - wooden parts has been refurbished - height of seat 42 cm.
Wood, Fabric
$361Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 35.44 in W 16.15 in D 20.08 in
Thonet Model No. 18 Chair, Beech Wood & Vienna Straw, Mid-Century
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Chair known as model No. 18, with curved beech frame with blachandmade Vienna straw intact. Designed by Michael Thonet in 1876.
Canvas, Hardwood, Beech, Bentwood
Thonet Model No. 511 Bentwood Armchair, Vienna Secession, circa 1904
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Thonet
Located in Austin, TX
An iconic armchair of the Vienna Secession movement, the Thonet model no. 511 bent beechwood armchair, featuring stunning lines and beautiful proportions. A design tour de force, it ...
Bentwood, Cane, Beech
Sold
H 35.44 in W 19.3 in D 16.93 in
Set of Four Adolf Loos Chairs, Cafe Capua Vienna, Austria, Thonet, 1913
By Thonet, Adolf Loos
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
A set of four fantastic and extremely rare Adolf Loos chairs manufactured by Thonet. Adolf Loos adopted this chair model inspired by 18th century Windsor chairs and used it for the Cafe Capua...
Wood, Beech
Sold
H 35.83 in W 19.3 in D 16.54 in
Set of Six Adolf Loos Chairs Cafe Capua Vienna, Austria, Thonet, 1913
By Thonet, Adolf Loos
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
A set of six fantastic and extremely rare Adolf Loos chairs manufactured by Thonet. Adolf Loos adopted this chair model inspired by 18th century Windsor chairs and used it for the Cafe Capua...
Beech, Bentwood
Sold
H 34.26 in W 16.54 in D 16.54 in
Pair of Adolf Loos Armchairs Chairs Cafe Capua Vienna, Thonet, 1913
By Thonet, Adolf Loos
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
A pair of fantastic and extremely rare Adolf Loos armchairs manufactured by Thonet. Adolf Loos adopted this chair model inspired by 18th century Windsor chairs and used it for the Cafe Capua...
Beech, Bentwood
Set of 6 Adolf Loos Thonet Vienna Café Museum Art Nouveau Bentwood Chairs
By Adolf Loos, Thonet
Located in Vienna, AT
A very beautiful set of 6 bentwood Art Nouveau Thonet chairs. Originally designed by Adolf Loos for Café Museum at Karlsplatz Vienna, this set is an adapted re-edition, issued by Tho...
Bentwood