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.
$956Sale Price / set|20% Off
Nickle Silver Wear with Original Maple Chest, 1930s-1940s
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Serving for 12 nickle silver. 60 pcs set with original maple wood silver storage box. Lovely Aqua green/mint interior.
Nickel
$556Sale Price / set|20% Off
Vintage 12 Pieces Mepoco Ware German Pottery
By Mepoco Ware
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Amazing set of German pottery. All are hallmarked Mepoco ware. This beautiful hand-painted and gold glazed Mepoco ware collection is a testament to amazing German craftsmanship. The ...
Pottery
$1,356Sale Price|20% Off
19thc Sponge Ware Cup and Saucers, Set of Four
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Matching set of four 19thc sponge ware cups and saucers in good condition. 4 saucers measure- 6 diameter x 1 high 4 Cups measure - 4.5 deep x 3.5 wide w x 3 high.
Pottery
$380Sale Price|20% Off
Reed & Barton Silver Horse Head Letter Opener
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Reed and Barton letter opener in silver plate with a horse head.
Silver
$278 / set
H 0.25 in W 4.25 in D 3.75 in
Coasters Set of Four. Formed from Brass Sheets and Handcrafted in Chicago
Located in Chicago, IL
Hand-formed from a sheet of brass, emphasizing the material’s pliable characteristics expressed through the process of production, each piece is then tarnished or darkened giving it ...
Brass
Reed & Barton Hand Chased Tea Set
Located in New York, NY
1940s Reed & Barton hand chased tea set. Set includes: Large coffee pot height 12'' depth 6'' width 11'' Tea pot height 10.5'' depth 6.5'' width 9.5'' ...
Silver Plate
Metal and Glass Modernist Citrus Squeezer by Jacques Adnet, France, 1930s
Located in Brussels, BE
Metal and glass Modernist Citrus squeezer by Jacques Adnet, France, 1930s.
Metal
Antique Sheffield Silverplate Tea Set, Victorian Style, 1920s-1930s
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Elegant classic antique sheffield silverplate tea set- 3 pieces. These are silver plated with black Bakelite handles and lid knobs. They are from c...
Silver Plate, Pewter
Art Deco 1930s Czech Glass Decanter Set
By Karl Palda
Located in Devon, England
For those discerning buyers who are seeking something a little different without compromising quality we offer this very stylish and appealing Art Deco decanter set for your consider...
Glass
$294
H 1.57 in W 5.51 in D 1.57 in
Bauhaus Urfisch Fish Rattle by Hugo Kükelhaus for Hohenfried Werkstätten 1940s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Bauhaus Urfisch Fish Rattle by Hugo Kükelhaus for Hohenfried Werkstätten, 1940s, in Good conditions. Designed 1920 to 1949 official proof of authenticity such as vintage catalogs, de...
Wood
Handmade Set of 2 Egg Cups in White Carrara Marble
By Fiammetta V.
Located in Carrara, IT
Set of 2 egg cups in white Carrara marble. Each piece is unique and handmade by Italian artisans specialized over generations in processing the famous Carrara marble. Slight varia...
Marble
$1,350Sale Price / set|50% Off
H 0.75 in Dm 3.5 in
Set of 8 Reed & Barton Francis I Sterling Silver Bowls
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Reed and Barton Classic bold and elaborate repousse' pattern with nicely scalloped edges / Made in USA, circa 1960s. Measures: diameter 3.5 inches, height 0.75 inches Set of 8 in sto...
Sterling Silver
$898
H 28.35 in W 18.12 in D 9.45 in
Art Deco Ashtray Stand, Chrome and Bakelite by Demeyere, Belgium, 1930s
By Demeyere
Located in Verviers, BE
Art Deco Ashtray Stand, Chrome and Bakelite by Demeyere, Belgium, 1930s This beautiful and rare Art Deco Ashtray Stand from the 30s is in the streamline modern Art Deco style. The ...
Chrome
Bonzo Dog Chocolate Mold Antique Vintage German 1910s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A gorgeous chocolate mold. Made of metal, not marked. Beautiful and ready to use or display, with nice patina. The 1890s to 1920s were the golden age of Chocolate production and consumption throughout Europe. Many cities and towns had competing chocolate shops with wonderful window displays filled with intricate, molded solid chocolate figures to entice hungry passersby. By this time, they had perfected the art of molding chocolate by using metal molds. The most known and best Manufactory for this kind of molds was the famous Anton Reiche...
Metal
$195
H 1 in W 16 in D 11.5 in
Vintage Reed & Barton Edwardian Silver Plated Octagonal Serving Platter Tray
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage Reed & Barton Edwardian Silver Plated Octagonal Serving Platter Tray. Circa Mid 20th Century. Measurements: 1" H x 16" W x 11.5" D.
Silver Plate
$211Sale Price|20% Off
H 5.5 in Dm 3 in
Art Deco Glass Vase by George Davidson in Amber Cloud Glass, Circa 1930s
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a beautiful small glass Vase made by George Davidson and Co. of Gateshead England in the Art Deco period, Circa 1930s. These vases were made in various colours and this is th...
Glass
$19,574Sale Price / set|30% Off
H 0.79 in Dm 9.45 in
90 Pieces Limoges Service signed Charles Field Haviland Aesthetic Movement 1885
Located in Paris, FR
This 19th-century service is signed by world-well-known CFH-GDM Charles Field Haviland. His very high-quality porcelain with polychrome and hand-painted decoration "flowers and encha...
Porcelain
$7,800 / set
H 1 in W 9 in D 1 in
Vintage Helmut Adler for Amboss Stainless Steel Flatware Austria 73 Pieces 60's
By Helmut Alder, Amboss Austria
Located in North Miami, FL
This wonderful set of high quality flatware made of stainless steel was designed by Helmut Adler for the manufacturer of Amboss Austria. It is called the ...
Stainless Steel
$190Sale Price / set|70% Off
H 3.15 in W 3.15 in D 2.76 in
Set of 3 Vintage Brass Pestle & Mortars, Czechoslovakia, Circa 1940s
Located in Zohor, SK
Beautiful set of three vintage pestles & mortars in a solid brass finish. All three produced in Czechoslovakia in 1940s as a kitchen wear for spices and...
Brass
Collection of Six Hand Carved Butter Stamps
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Collection of six hand carved butter stamps Tallest Stamp measures approx - 4.5 wide x 2.5 deep x 8 tall shortest stamp measures approx - 2.5 tall x 4...
Wood
Waldorf Astoria Cuban Cigar Jar with Silver Lid
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Waldorf- Astoria Segars Waldorf-Astoria Cigar Company American Cuban Cigar Company - 1905 "Waldorf–Astoria Hotel in Manhattan, New York City. Its headquarters were located in the building's basement on the Fifth Avenue." "The first shipment of the LA SAVOIE brand of Havana cigars ever made to the US was made to the Waldorf-Astoria Cigar Company." This silver lidded crystal jar comes with two leather cases of which are included inside the cigar jar...
Silver
Stag Horn 3-Piece Cutlery Set, circa 1940
Located in Port Jervis, NY
3-piece set of stag horn cutlery. Knife, fork and a sharpener. All in excellent vintage condition.
Stainless Steel
Pair of ARTHUR COURT Stag Motif Decanters
By Arthur Court
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Pair of Arthur Court stag motif decanters, each one with a large and heavy cast stag head with a crystal decanter. This item is at our Atlanta GA, Location, not Palm Beach.
Crystal, Pewter