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 MOS Console 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
Michel Pigneres Console in Mirrored Glass and Brass
By Michel Pigneres
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Michel Pigneres, console, lacquered metal, smoked mirrored glass, brass, steel, France, 1960s. This exquisite console is beautifully designed featuring a nice structure of sharp lin...
Brass, Steel, Metal
Italian Mid-Century Brass, Wood and Glass Console Table
Located in Vilnius, LT
Vintage Italian very solid and heavy, brass, wood and glass console table from 1970's. The top of this console is in glass. The structure is combined with laquered dark brown color w...
Brass
$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
Vintage Console in Brass , 1970s design Renato Zevi
By Willy Rizzo
Located in taranto, IT
console in brass from the 70s, made of polished brass tubing , designed by Renato Zevi it measures 130 cm in length, approximately 70 cm in height an...
Brass
DOS GALLOS Custom Walnut Wood Console with Drawers
By Dos Gallos Studio
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Custom walnut console featuring three drawers with applied geometric motif. Turned legs. Very graceful and beautiful. Can be made in custom sizes...
Walnut
$8,723 / item
H 35.44 in W 16.07 in D 61.89 in
Shagreen Console Table with Bronze-Patina Brass Details by R&Y Augousti
By R & Y Augousti
Located in New York, NY
The Paris based label has distinguished themselves since their launch, with their iconic use of shagreen mixed with brass and other exotic materials. All furniture is handcrafted by ...
Brass
$11,742 / item
H 35.44 in W 16.15 in D 61.03 in
Rattan Console with Bronze-Patina Brass Inlay by R&Y Augousti
By R & Y Augousti
Located in New York, NY
The Paris based label has distinguished themselves since their launch, with their iconic use of shagreen mixed with brass and other exotic materials. All furniture is handcrafted by skilled artisans, ultimately making each piece unique, designed in Paris and produced in the Philippines. The Nymphea Console by R & Y Augousti is a part of their new Rattan...
Quartz, Brass
$11,742 / item
H 35.44 in W 16.15 in D 61.03 in
Rattan Console with Bronze-Patina Brass Inlay by R&Y Augousti
By R & Y Augousti
Located in New York, NY
The Paris based label has distinguished themselves since their launch, with their iconic use of shagreen mixed with brass and other exotic materials. All furniture is handcrafted by ...
Quartz, Brass
$11,742 / item
H 35.44 in W 16.15 in D 61.03 in
Rattan Console with Bronze-Patina Brass Inlay by R&Y Augousti
By R & Y Augousti
Located in New York, NY
The Paris based label has distinguished themselves since their launch, with their iconic use of shagreen mixed with brass and other exotic materials. All furniture is handcrafted by skilled artisans, ultimately making each piece unique, designed in Paris and produced in the Philippines. The Nymphea console by R & Y Augousti is a part of their new Rattan capsule launch. The piece explores the brand's iconic DNA of bringing old world artisanal craft into a contemporary and utterly luxury feel. This table is done in a blue rattan...
Quartz, Brass
$6,150 / item
H 31.5 in W 70.87 in D 15.75 in
Elegant Modern Classic High gloss Black Wooden Console with Brass Accents
By Renats Kotlevs
Located in Riga, LV
Elegant and fabulous, this console table is a stylish addition to the room. The black piano finish of this table gives it a deeply luxurious appearance. With elegant drawers, this fu...
Brass
Dos Gallos Custom Wood Console with Hand Forged Iron Base
By Dos Gallos Studio
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Custom console table that can be made in Douglas fir, oak or walnut. Shown here in Douglas fir with a built up 3.5" thick top. Different finishes available. Made in Los Angeles by Do...
Iron
$17,446 / item
H 35.44 in W 16.15 in D 61.03 in
Shagreen Console with Bronze-Patina Brass Details by R&Y Augousti
By R & Y Augousti
Located in New York, NY
The Paris based label has distinguished themselves since their launch, with their iconic use of shagreen mixed with brass and other exotic materials. All furniture is handcrafted by ...
Brass