ing room is dominated by the dining table and the Thonet chairs in the middle. Both
the dining room and the music room are linked to the garden. The only enclosed
rooms on the main floor are the library (Herrenzimmer) and the kitchen. An open
staircase leads from the hall to the bedroom level.
The spatial layout brings about a definitely theatrical effect. The route into the
house consists of a sequence of spaces and directions that, as it were, physically pre-
pare one for the arrival in the hall (figure 46). On two occasions visitors are exposed
to the controlling view from the ladies’ lounge: first as one approaches the front door;
secondly as one climbs the steps. The ladies’ lounge also overlooks the garden via
the hall and the music room. All this gives it a privileged position—something that is
reinforced by its wide horizontal window and the baylike projection in the front
facade.
This street front has a severe symmetrical structure and its closed character
gives the house the look of an isolated object (figure 40). The projection containing
the lounge juts out at a low level above the front door giving the front facade a some-
what unbalanced, almost threatening appearance. The rear of the house, however,
with its interplay of terraces and flights of steps, and larger windows, has a clear
3
Reflections in a Mirror44
Adolf Loos, Moller House,
music room seen from the
dining room.
(Photo: Albertina, ALA 2457.)