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.
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
Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH MOS Bookcase in Wood with Brass Feet
By Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH, Adolf Loos
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
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
Art Deco Bookcase in Wood, 1920, French, Walnut Wood
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Bookcase Year: 1920 Country: French Wood It is an elegant and sophisticated bookcase. You want to live in the golden years, this is the bookcase that your project needs. We have s...
Wood
Revolving Bookcase by Thonet
By Thonet
Located in Banská Štiavnica, SK
Revolving bookcase by Thonet professionally stained and repolished.
Beech
$3,500
H 70 in W 22 in D 41 in
Vintage 1960s Lacquered Yumu Wood Chinese Bookcase with Hand-Carved Medallions
Located in Yonkers, NY
A vintage handmade Chinese lacquered yumu wood 1960s bookcase with hand-carved medallions. Made of yumu wood, this Chinese bookshelf features a nicel...
Elm
Oak and Brass Bookcase Shelving with Credenza by Amuneal
By Amuneal
Located in New York, NY
Oak and Brass Bookcase Shelving with Credenza is the single bay version of Amuneal’s collector’s shelving unit featuring solid machined brass fitti...
Brass
Unavailable|$4,198
H 36.23 in W 19.69 in D 19.69 in
Thonet - Michael Thonet - Bookcase - No. 11651 - Beech
By Michael Thonet, Thonet
Located in Budapest, HU
This elegant rotating bookcase, model number 11651, was designed before 1904 by the renowned furniture manufacturer Gebrüder Thonet in Vienna. The rack is crafted from high-quality b...
Beech
Sold|$2,159
H 80.32 in W 102.37 in D 11.82 in
Poul Cadovius "Royal System" Bookcase in Wood and Brass, Denmark 1960s
By Poul Cadovius
Located in Naples, IT
Hanging wooden bookcase with brass shelf brackets attributed to designer Poul Cadovius, This bookcase features the distinctive characteristics of the famous "Royal System" designed...
Brass
Chippendale Style Mahogany Bookcase With Cannonball Feet
Located in Southampton, NJ
A 20th c.. Mahogany bookcase with two removable shelves and new custom lined green grasscloth interior, four dovetail drawers terminating on marvelous cannon ball feet.
Grasscloth, Mahogany
Gotham Bookcase - Customizable Wood and Metal
By Wüd Furniture Design
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The elegant and striking Gotham bookcase features alternating oxidized Ambrosia maple and burnished bronze shelves with a blackened steel frame. One available in-stock: W 42 in. ...
Bronze, Steel
$4,700
H 40.16 in W 69.69 in D 16.93 in
Sculptural Bookcase in Black Lacquered Wood with Decorative Carvings
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Bookcase, lacquered wood, France, 1970s Crafted with unparalleled artistry, this cabinet with shelves epitomizes exquisite craftsmanship with meticulously carved details that draw i...
Wood
$525
H 36 in W 36.5 in D 9.5 in
Mid Century Modern 4 Shelf Bookcase with Faux Wood Print & Brass Accents
Located in Freehold, NJ
This classic mid century modern bookcase features four metal shelves with original brown paint and faux walnut print, brass accented legs & feet. I have two more of these identical...
Metal
Frame Bookcase
By Ghidini 1961
Located in Milan, IT
A clean and essential design of strong geometrical value, this striking bookcase will make a bold and stately addition to any contemporary decor. Featuring two vertical supports and ...
Brass