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.
19th Century Original Grey Painted Dough Tray
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19th century original grey painted and double handled dough try or cow trough. Great center piece for a farm table.
Pine
$700Sale Price|20% Off
19thc Spice Wall Box/ Cabinet
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19Thc Table top spice box with square nail construction and in fine condition.These early spice boxes are hard to find in such good condition.
Wood
Late 19Thc Shaker Style Pantry Boxes -Stack of Four
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Late 19Thc Shaker pantry boxes in fine condition and all matching stack.This matching stack of four boxes are in great condition and all have copper nail construction.Sold as a coll...
Wood
Hand Carved Organic Log Form Dresser Box
Located in Ferndale, MI
Hand Carved Organic Log Form Dresser Box
Wood
19th Century Walnut Cutlery Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This finely handmade 19th century walnut cutlery box is in fine condition and retains a nice mellow patina. Great for so many different uses. Super cool for outgoing mail or bills! N...
Wood
Adirondack Style Birch Twig and Mushroom Box
Located in Chicago, IL
This box is part woodland, part wink. A mid to late 20th century American Adirondack fantasy, it is clad entirely in cut birch branches and raised on birch branch legs, as if it simp...
Birch
18thc European Pantry Box With Lid
Located in Los Angeles, CA
18thc European Pantry Box With Lid in great condition.This is like a oversized pantry box or storage box with the original lid.
Wood
$1,000Sale Price|20% Off
19thc Wall Hanging Spice Box With Porcelain Knobs
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19thc wall hanging spice box with porcelain knobs. crown molding on the top portion of the box. Wonderful hand made box with great patina and age. Original porcelain knobs.
Porcelain, Wood
$716Sale Price|20% Off
19Thc Original Mustard Painted Barrel
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This folky original mustard painted over grey barrel was found on a farm in Pennsylvania. The condition is very good and sturdy. The patina is amazing and it has a outdoor protective...
Oak
19Thc Original Paint Decorated Pantry Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19Thc Original paint decorated red over blue swing handled pantry box from New England.This amazing over painted pantry box has wonderful 19thc decoration and is in good condition.
Wood
19Thc Paint Decorated Pa. Dutch Pantry Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This 19Thc early pantry box was used in the kitchen for feeds and grains. This was paint decorated later in the early 20thc.Looks like a Peter Hunt painted or decorated style. The co...
Wood, Paint
19thc New England Bucket With Original Lid From Maine
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19thc New England Bucket With Original Lid From Maine original paint and wonderful metal handle with wooden grip. Great color and great patina.
Wood
19thc Rounded Cheese Box With Handle
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Early 19Thc pantry box / cheese box with a handle in fine condition. This cheese box in great condition. This cheese container is from New England and is si...
Wood
$396Sale Price|20% Off
19Thc Original Red Painted Cutlery / Knife Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19Thc Hand crafted and painted cutlery box from Pennsylvania in original red painted surface. The condition is very good and has square nail construction.
Wood
19thc Oval Oversized Pantry Box.
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19thc Oval oversized pantry box. Original paint. Large size wooden pantry found in New England. Spacious old and primitive.
Wood
$760Sale Price|20% Off
19thc original painted Fruit & Floral Decoration Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19thc original painted Fruit & Floral Decoration Box. Dovetailed construction and walnut wood. Wonderful age consistent of use.
Wood
Early 19Thc Original Blue Painted Mini -Dome Top Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19Thc Original Blue painted table top dome top document box.The hardware is original and square nail construction.The condition is good with minor scratches.
Wood, Paint
19Thc Original Brown Painted Box W/ Drawer & Handle
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is either a 19thc hardware drawer box or a cash drawer of sorts.The construction is early cut nails and a dovetailed drawer.There is a brass & iron handle on the side of the box...
Brass, Iron
19th Dusty Rose Painted Furkin
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19Thc Original dusty rose painted furkin / bucket i fine condition. Nice construction and form.
Wood
20Thc Tin Coffee Canister
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Early 20Thc Coffee tin canister in original painted labels & original condition.
Tin
19th Century Kashmiri Hand Painted Trinket Box
Located in London, GB
19th century Kashmiri Hand Painted Trinket Box A true work of art, this mid-19th century Kashmiri handcrafted trinket box is covered in beautiful detail. Including peacocks, birds, flowers, and foliage. The hand painted detail is raised from the box with gold gilded paint and vibrant colours. The box is hinged with its original key and painted orange inside, this example would likely have been owner by a wealthy individual considering the amount of detail and craftsmanship that has gone into creating it, A rare survivor. Size of inches approx.: H 4” x W 11.5” x D 4.5” Completely solid in structure and form, with natural wear, loss of surface detail, the paint has worn away over years with damage in areas and loss of detail, The key is present however the lock does not close. The House of...
Wood
Asian Silver Metal Hand Carved Peacock Sitar Veena Form Box 1950
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage Asian Silver Metal Hand-Carved Sitar Veena Box. Elevate your decor with this stunning vintage box, featuring intricate hand-carved designs of a sitar and peacock. The ornate ...
Metal, Silver
$475
H 0.75 in W 3 in D 1.75 in
Early 19th Century Georgian Burr Birch Pocket Snuff Box, England, circa 1820
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
A very handsome early 19th century Georgian pocket snuff box, the richly figured burr birch case inlaid with ebony stringing and an ebony shield-shaped cartouche, the functioning lid opening on wooden...
Birch
Carved Shoe Form Treen Snuff Box with Carved Shamrock, 19th Century
Located in Spencertown, NY
Probably Irish given the carved shamrock, with hinged top and robust leaf like carving. A small chip to bottom of toe and two small holes on the bottom likely from former mounting.
Wood
19th Century Graduated Stack of Paint Decorated Pantry Boxes
Located in Nantucket, MA
19th Century Graduated Stack of Paint Decorated Pantry Boxes, circa 1880, comprising five shaved splint bentwood pantry boxes with straight overlaps fastened via wooden pegs, in late...
Wood
Shaker Storage Box
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful, finely crafted bentwood cedar Shaker style storage or decorative box, circa late-20th century, American. Box is a rich brown cedar wood tacked with hand forged brass nai...
Brass
Fine 19thC Rosewood and Mother of Pearl Jewellery Cabinet
Located in Altrincham, GB
Fine 19thC Rosewood and Mother of Pearl Jewellery Cabinet, the table top work casket with hinged top enclosing a compartmented interior above a pair of doors enclosing three graduate...
Mother-of-Pearl, Rosewood
$893
H 3.94 in W 12.21 in D 7.49 in
19th Century Swedish antique genuine rustic Bent wood box with original paint
Located in Boden, SE
19th Century Swedish Folk Art Bentwood Box from Hälsingland, Northern Sweden. Oval box with lid. Originalpainted with nice patina after several hundred years of use. Beautifully pain...
Pine
$460Sale Price|54% Off
H 7.5 in W 18 in D 10 in
Antique Pine Box with Original Green Paint and Interior Wallpaper, 19th century
Located in Houston, TX
Made of pine, this painted Pennsylvania 19th century box retains its rich, original green surface with beautifully worn patina from generations of use. This charming rectangular b...
Pine
Decorative Box with lid, Vintage Wooden Brown Jewellery Box, Hand Carved
Located in Wembley, GB
A handmade wooden jewellery box with a lid and lock, it is perfectly designed and created in a suitable size for keeping valuables inside. The top of this box has leaf patterns and l...
Papercord, Boxwood, Driftwood
19th century Scandinavian folk art hand painted box
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Traditional 19th century hand painted scandinavian box circa 1860. Rustic made piece from sweden that was used to help secure a person’s possessions. Oval shaped with a slight dome...
Bentwood, Pine, Paint
Tuareg Box, Intricately Carved, Leather Covered Box in Hand Dyed Brown
Located in Chicago, IL
This Tuareg leather box is a finely handcrafted storage chest rooted in the rich artistic traditions of the Sahara, particularly those of Mali. Created by a Malian artisan now based ...
Leather, Wood
19Thc Original Blue/Grey Large Pantry Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19Thc Original blue painted pantry box in very good condition.This blue /grey painted pantry box.Great size.
Pine
19thc Original Blue Painted Bail Handled Pantry Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19Thc Original blue painted bail handled pantry box with original handle in fine condition.Super patina ( untouched surface ). From a private collection.
Wood
19thc Hand Carved Wooden New England Dough Bowl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Early 219thc Wooden dough bowl found in New England. Wonderful patina and age to the surface. Great size.
Wood
19Thc Original Apple Green Pantry Box From New England
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This amazing early 19thc over sized hat or over sized pantry box in original apple green painted surface.The condition is very good with an amazing patina.
Wood
19Thc Paint Decorated Pa. Dutch Pantry Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This 19Thc early pantry box was used in the kitchen for feeds and grains. This was paint decorated later in the early 20thc.Looks like a Peter Hunt painted or decorated style.The con...
Wood
Sold
H 5 in W 17.75 in D 13.25 in
Vintage Continental Pictorial Inlaid Mahogany Footed Document Box, circa 1940
Located in Big Flats, NY
A vintage Continental pictorial document box features mahogany construction with top having inlaid country scene with creekside house and water wheel, convex sides and seated on pyra...
Mahogany
Hand-Painted and Carved Indian Humidor
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This hand carved pine humidor has hand painted different Indians and Indian feathers painted throughout. The condition is pristine with minor nicks and scratches. The lid also has pa...
Pine
Large 19th Century Original Paint Pantry Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Wonderful large painted bail handled 19th century pantry box with fantastic bark like surface. The form and condition are great. Looks very Adirondack with the bark like surface.
Boxwood