Adirondack Pack
Antique 1890s American Adirondack Native American Objects
Cowhide
Antique 1860s American Adirondack Quilts and Blankets
Cotton
People Also Browsed
20th Century Paintings
Canvas, Wood
Antique 19th Century American Quilts
Cotton
Antique Late 19th Century American Adirondack Quilts and Blankets
Wool
Antique 19th Century American Quilts
Wool
Antique 19th Century American Adirondack Quilts and Blankets
Wool
20th Century Mexican Folk Art Native American Objects
Yarn
Antique 1880s American Country Quilts
Cotton
20th Century American Country Quilts and Blankets
Fabric
Antique Late 19th Century American Adirondack Quilts and Blankets
Cotton
1940s American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Watercolor, Archival Paper
Antique 19th Century American Country Quilts and Blankets
Wool
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
Birch, Paint
1960s American Realist Landscape Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Ming Benches
Bamboo, Walnut
1940s Modern Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Vintage 1920s German Art Deco Benches
Metal
Recent Sales
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Decorative Baskets
Fabric, Reed, Ash
20th Century American Adirondack Decorative Baskets
Metal
A Close Look at adirondack Furniture
Evoking rusticity and relaxation through simple and elegant designs, vintage Adirondack furniture originated in the Adirondack Mountains of northeastern New York. The most famous piece is the Adirondack chair, which dates to 1903.
With its ample armrests and sturdy but comfortable slanted seat, the reclined Adirondack chair was designed by Thomas Lee for his own country home. The postwar golden age of modern patio and garden furniture production — led by the likes of Brown Jordan, Knoll, Salterini and Woodard — was decades away at the time, and there were few pieces of furniture specifically created for outdoor use.
Lee, a Massachusetts-born Harvard graduate raised in a wealthy family, was no furniture designer. He merely needed a durable, rugged chair for afternoons in the sun while he was vacationing on Lake Champlain in Westport, New York, in the summer. The amateur woodworker used just one wooden plank cut into 11 segments that were jointed together for his now-legendary seat, which is said to have been made of hemlock, hickory or basswood.
The story of the Adirondack chair continues with Lee’s friend, carpenter Harry Bunnell, covertly patenting the chair and going on to produce it as the Westport Plank chair for a growing audience over the next two decades. Over a century later, the Adirondack chair has gone through several design evolutions while maintaining its popularity and basic form with slats of wood such as pine offering comfort both indoors and out.
The widespread demand for rustic Adirondack outdoor furniture was bolstered by the turn-of-the-century establishment of rural escapes to treat diseases such as tuberculosis. The low-slung Adirondack chair became common in these places of convalescence, allowing patients to recline and breathe in the country air. It also complemented the camp-style architecture that was prevalent in the Adirondacks for recreation as well as restoration, where rugged furniture with exposed wood and minimal carving filled interiors and wide porches.
Today, Adirondack chairs are made in a range of materials and can be found around the world, from ski resorts to lakeside piers, their durability and classic form making them an enduring favorite for spending time in nature.
Find vintage Adirondack chairs, benches, lounge chairs, decorative objects, folk art and other furniture on 1stDibs.