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.
Extra rare low table by Adolf Loos for Fridrich Otto Schmidt
By Adolf Loos, Friedrich Otto Schmidt
Located in Banská Štiavnica, SK
Extra rare low table by Adolf Loos for Fridrich Otto Schmidt. Professionally stained and repolished.
Brass
Vienna Secession Center Table By Adolf Loos Witn Ten Columns - Austria
By Adolf Loos
Located in Girona, Girona
Spectacular center table with ten columns fixed by wood screw system, solid beech and pine wood with mahogany veneer, stained and French polished. High quality. Design: Adolf Loos, ...
Beech, Pine, Mahogany
$25,746Sale Price|35% Off
H 26.19 in Dm 28.15 in
Adolf Loos Elephant Trunk Table, Brass & Wood, Viennese Design, 1910
By Adolf Loos, Friedrich Otto Schmidt
Located in Klosterneuburg, AT
The famous Viennese architect and designer Adolf Loos was one of the pioneers of modern architecture. In particular, his hollistically designed residential projects, in which he drew up both the building and the interior furnishings, receive special art historical attention today. Loos first used this design, called the "elephant trunk table...
Brass
$2,100
H 10.44 in W 52.56 in D 53.55 in
Japanese Antique Wood Low Table , Primitive Low Table , Wabi Sabi
Located in Katori-Shi, 12
This is an antique low table from the Taisho period. The table top is made of five pieces of Shurizakura wood with beautiful grain, and its rich expression captivates the viewer. In...
Wood
$5,200
H 21.65 in W 47.05 in D 25.59 in
Ring table, Gebrüder Thonet Wien GTV, Jugendstil, Adolf Loos, Vienna, Austria
By Adolf Loos, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna GmbH
Located in Wien, AT
A table - pure extravagance. The design for this table comes from Adolf Loos and the execution was carried out by Gebrüder Thonet Vienna, Austria. This design object is pure Art Nou...
Beech, Mahogany
$26,406
H 27.17 in W 29.53 in D 29.53 in
Secession hexagonal six-legged table lined with brass attr. to Adolf Loos
By Adolf Loos, Miksa Schmidt
Located in Banská Štiavnica, SK
Secession hexagonal six-legged table lined with brass attr. to Adolf Loos for Maximilian Schmidt in original vintage condition with signs of use.
Copper
Adolf Loos Elephant Trunk Table, Wood and Copper, Austria, 1910s
By Adolf Loos
Located in Brussels, BE
Adolf Loos elephant trunk table, wood and copper, Austria, 1910s.
Wood
19th Century Victorian Inlaid Walnut Centre /Loo table
Located in Toronto, CA
A handsome Victorian walnut loo / games table, dating from the 19th century and displaying all the elegance one expects of the period. Constructed in well-figured walnut solids and ...
Walnut
Adolf Loos Style Six-Legged Table with Copper Plate
By Adolf Loos
Located in Banská Štiavnica, SK
Adolf Loos six-legged table with copper plate professionally stained and repolished.
Copper
Austrian Biedermeier Cherrywood Round Center Table
Located in Queens, NY
Austrian Biedermeier (19th Century) cherrywood round center table with 3 scroll legs and stretcher with brass finial.
Brass
$1,375 / item
H 15.7 in W 55.1 in D 35.4 in
"Nizza" Copper Perforated Steel Top Low Rectangular Table by Moroso for Diesel
By Moroso, Diesel Creative Team 1
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"Nizza" is a rectangular low table, designed by Diesel Creative Team and manufactured by Moroso, featuring a top made of a perforated steel sheet varnished with a copper finish and b...
Metal, Steel
$14,403
H 30.71 in W 25.6 in D 43.71 in
Jugendstil Bar Cart Beech Nickel Glass Style Adolf Loos, circa 1902, Vienna
By Adolf Loos
Located in Vienna, AT
Jugendstil bar cart from stained beech designed and executed, circa 1902 in Vienna. An amazing vintage bar cart, this model was also used by Adolf Loos for his interiors. The bar car...
Nickel
Secession Side Table in Style of Adolf Loos
By Adolf Loos
Located in Banská Štiavnica, SK
Secession side table in style of Adolf Loos. Professionally stained and repolished.
Brass
$26,406
H 29.53 in Dm 24.02 in
Very rare Haberfeld secession coffee table by Adolf Loos for F.O. Schmidt
By Friedrich Otto Schmidt, Adolf Loos
Located in Banská Štiavnica, SK
Very rare Haberfeld secession coffee table by Adolf Loos for Fridrich Otto Schmidt. Professionally stained and repolished with french polish.
Brass
Sold
H 29.93 in Dm 29.53 in
Adolf Loos Round Black Shellac and Brass Austrian Art Nouveau Side Table, 1910
By Adolf Loos
Located in Roma, Lazio
A perfect "Status symbol" side table with a clean architecture is a surprising elegance, synonymous of Adolf Loos. All polished with black shellac and enriched with brass details. T...
Brass