Read the small letters: « Taste is timeless ». This could be our motto!

Adolf Loos, the minimalist design architect born in Vienna in 1870, famous for his love for controversies and his rebellious mind can somehow be seen as having laid the groundwork for the modern movement.

The book “creating your home with style” follows a first publication by the editor Metroverlag entitled “ Why a man should be well dressed” (I haven’t read this one yet but will surely do!).

All along his adult life, he never stopped reflecting, criticizing and creating. His revolutionary views on taste and his fierce opposition to trends make his writings, tough more than 100 year old, still relevant in the present and continue to inspire contemporary architects and designers.

This book not only shines a light on his views on design but also gives an interesting insight on the Belle Epoque of Vienna.

Anecdotally, his best-known work « Ornament and Crime » dating from 1908 is a compilation of lectures written for his defence toward the authorities who refused a permit for a men’s tailoring shop and apartment block on Michaelerplatz, facing the imperial palace in Vienna.

This building known as the Looshaus caused a furor across the city because of its severe facade and its lack of ornamentation. Lore has it that Emperor Franz Joseph found the building so ugly that he drew his carriage curtains when riding past it. It’s now used as a private bank.

Cathy

Business coach and professional flâneur

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