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: cloakroom bar
By Adolf Loos
Located in Purkersdorf, AT
Wall coat rack with 3 hooks made of brass and solid oak, designed by Adolf Loos. The wardrobe was made around 1910. Nice old patina
Brass
Adolf Loos for Knize Taylorshop, Coathook Re-Edition by Woka Lamps Vienna
By Woka Lamps, Adolf Loos
Located in Vienna, AT
Designed for the Knize Taylor-shop in Vienna, Paris and Berlin. A three-hole, or a four-hole version is avaliable.
Brass
Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH NYNY Bookcase with Lacquered Wood and Brass Frame
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Adolf Loos
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Distinctively asserting its modernity, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna has adopted its archetypes, bent-wood and woven cane, to design NYNY, a piece of furniture with a strong emotional dimen...
Wood
Adolf Loos Art Nouveau Brass Wall Hook, Werkstätte Hagenauer, Austria, 1910
By Adolf Loos, Werkstätte Hagenauer Wien
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful Art Nouveau brass wall hook, designed by Adolf Loos, executed by Werkstaette Hagenauer, Vienna, 1910. In very good condition.
Brass
Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH MOS Bookcase in Wood with Brass Feet
By Adolf Loos, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Located in Brooklyn, NY
MOS is the family of storage units designed by GamFratesi with console, bookcase and side table, which can also be used as a bedside table, that incorporates the style of the bench o...
Wood
Adolf Loos: coat rack
By Adolf Loos
Located in Purkersdorf, AT
Wall coat rack with 3 hooks made of nickel-plated brass (old patina, can be polished) and solid oak wood, designed by Adolf Loos. The wardrobe was made around 1910. Nice old patina
Brass, Nickel
$5,317
H 80.71 in W 39.38 in D 22.45 in
EXQUISITE ViNTAGE HAND CARVED ART NOUVEAU PINE WARDROBE NUDE NYMPHS INSIDE
By Liberty of London
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this Exquisite Liberty's of London Art Nouveau style, hand carved Pine wardrobe depicting Nude Nymphs inside...
Pine
$2,505Sale Price|28% Off
H 71.26 in W 47.25 in D 9.06 in
Giò Ponti in the Manner Italian Midcentury Coat Racks 50's
By Gio Ponti
Located in bari, IT
Walnut wood structure coat rack with brass table anchored to the structure, embellished with brass circles creating harmony in the wooden panel. Crystal hood with brass anchors. 1950...
Brass
$1,101 / set
H 4.34 in W 3.94 in D 6.7 in
Set of 8 Mid-Century Modern Wall Hooks by Schönbuch, Germany, 1960s
By Schönbuch
Located in Nürnberg, Bayern
Beautifully curved. A great set consisting of eight single hooks which can be set differently to conjure a wonderful installation on the wall. Two different sizes of hooks. The sm...
Metal
$909Sale Price|58% Off
H 68.71 in W 32.49 in D 15.56 in
Cloakroom / Workshop cabinet - Armoire - industrial - vintage - France
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Former workshop changing room for employees of the Compagnie Française de Raffinage, CFR, and more particularly for the Normandy refineries in France. Still has the Normandy refiner...
Wood
Pair of Modern Black Bookcases in Solid Wood
Located in North York, ON
Pair of modern black bookcases in solid wood. Finished in a satin black finish with sleek modern styling. Sold in a pair, 4 total available. P...
Wood
Bar Cabinet with Wood Inlays, Italy, 1950s
Located in Wolfurt, AT
Bar cabinet, Italy, 1950s Walnut veneer with two inlays of different woods with traditional figures, inside mirror with lighting. Crystal glass with coloured paper applied to the...
Brass
$330
H 7 in W 3.5 in D 4 in
Walter Bosse Cat Zoo Brass Animal Wall Hook by Herta Baller, Austria, 1950s
By Walter Bosse, Herta Baller
Located in Vienna, AT
A lovely Austrian modernist animal zoo coat wall hook, displaying a cat, our favourite hook. A humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Herta Baller, Vienna / Austria in the 19...
Brass
$2,551
H 77.96 in W 59.06 in D 27.17 in
Early 20th Century Whitewashed Massive Baltic Pine Two-Door Armoire
Located in Barntrup, DE
This beautiful and massive early 20th-century Baltic armoire features paneled doors and two pull-out drawers below, three massive turned column pilasters, and two half-columns on each door. The exterior front side has a whitewashed finish. Inside, the pine remains in its raw color. The right side is equipped with two drawers, in both sides, there are original wooden clothes hangers...
Metal
Brass Coat Wall Hooks by Hertha Baller
By Herta Baller
Located in Vienna, AT
Two beautiful Austrian brass hooks by manufactured by Hertha Baller in Austria in the 1950s.
Brass
$4,310
H 93 in W 58 in D 19 in
19th C French Country Armoire (Norman Style De Bayeux), Converted into a Dry Bar
Located in North Palm Beach, FL
Introducing our Antique French Country Armoire in the Norman style de Bayeux, a timeless piece of history dating back to the mid to late 1800s. Using traditional peg construction tec...
Walnut
$2,900
H 90.56 in W 49.22 in D 23.23 in
New Open Wardrobe or Coat Rack with Shoes Compartment or Bench
Located in Miami, FL
New open wardrobe or coat rack with shoes compartment or bench that you can remove it and use like a bench or side table This wardrobe is ideal for hote...
Iron
$545
H 5.71 in W 1.38 in D 5.32 in
Art Deco Coat Hook from Adolf Loos, 1913, for Cafe Capua, Vienna Austria
By Adolf Loos
Located in Vienna, Austria
Coat Hook designed by Adolf Loos around 1913 for Car Capua in Vienna Austria. Made of nickel plated iron with a patina.
Iron, Nickel
Jugendstil Brass Vintage Wall Hooks by Adolf Loos, Vienna, 1916
By Adolf Loos
Located in Vienna, AT
These five wall hooks were designed by Adolf Loos and executed in Vienna, 1916. The wall hooks were used for the coatracks at the Viennese Cafe Capua. You can fix these hooks on the...
Brass
Art Nouveau Brass Wall Hook by Adolf Loos for Knize, Austria, 1909
By Adolf Loos
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful Art Nouveau brass coat hook, designed in 1909 by Adolf Loos for the Viennese Tailor Knize & Comp. In very good condition with marginal patina. We offer more identical hoo...
Brass
Sold
H 8 in W 2 in D 4.5 in
Adolf Loos Art Nouveau Brass Wall Hook, Werkstätte Hagenauer, Austria, 1910
By Adolf Loos, Werkstätte Hagenauer Wien
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful Art Nouveau brass wall hook, designed by Adolf Loos, executed by Werkstaette Hagenauer, Vienna, 1910. In very good condition.
Sold
H 8 in W 2 in D 5 in
Adolf Loos Art Nouveau Brass Wall Coat Hook, Werkstätte Hagenauer, Austria, 1910
By Adolf Loos, Werkstätte Hagenauer Wien
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful Art Nouveau brass wall coat hook designed by Adolf Loos, executed by Werkstätte Hagenauer, Vienna, 1910. In good condition with charming patina.
Brass
Up to Six Wall Hooks by Adolf Loos for Knize, Brass, Austria, 1909
By Adolf Loos
Located in Vienna, AT
Up to six beautiful Art Nouveau brass coat hooks, designed in 1909 by Adolf Loos for the Viennese Tailor Knize & Comp. In good condition with nice patina. Sold and priced per piece.
Brass