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.
$476Sale Price / set|20% Off
Set of Six Blue Willow Bowls
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19Thc English Blue Willow Soup bowls stamped Allerton's -England. Collection of six soup bowls in pristine condition.
Pottery
$1,516Sale Price / set|20% Off
Collection of Four 19th Century Sponge Ware Serving Platters
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This amazing collection of four 19th century sponge ware serving platters are in fantastic condition. These platters are so hard to find in pristine condition.
Porcelain
$1,356Sale Price / set|20% Off
Collection of Four Oval Sponge Ware Platters
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19Thc Collection of sponge ware platters in varies sizes.All in mint condition.Great early colors & glazes.Sold as a group of four. smallest platter measures approx - 10w x 6 d x 1 ...
Pottery
$636Sale Price|20% Off
19thc Sponge Ware Serving Platter
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19thc Design Sponge ware serving platter in pristine. This has a nice pattern and shape.
Pottery
$540Sale Price|20% Off
19th Century Sponge Ware Bake Dish
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This fine sponge ware pottery bake dish in fine condition. This is a sponge design pattern. This is in very good condition.
Pottery
$1,116Sale Price / set|20% Off
Set of Four Johnson Bros Dinner Plates and Johnson Bros Platter
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large English Turkey platter, Johnson Bros. and a set of three English Autumn Monarch Turkey plates. English hand engraved Johnson Bros. set of three p...
Porcelain
Vintage Myott "Bouquet" Oval Serving Plate, Staffordshire, England
Located in Worcester Park, GB
This vintage Myott "Bouquet" oval serving plate is a delightful example of mid-20th-century English transferware, blending practicality with floral elegance. The hand-finished scallo...
Earthenware
$600
H 1.5 in W 14.5 in D 10.5 in
Large Vintage French Dieulefit Provencal Yellowware Glazed Oval Platter
Located in Birmingham, AL
A striking large vintage yellowware oval platter from Dieulefit, a picturesque village in southeastern France with a pottery tradition stretching back over 2,000 years. This rustic yet refined earthenware platter, handcrafted circa 1950s, features a rich ochre yellow glaze with a distinctive burnt brown rim, a hallmark of traditional Dieulefit pottery...
Earthenware
Midcentury Teak Serving Tray or Platter
Located in San Diego, CA
Midcentury teak serving tray or platter from Denmark, circa 1960s. The platter is 12" in diameter and .5" high. The piece is in very good...
Teak
19th Century "Blue Willow" Platter
Located in High Point, NC
19th century English platter in the highly collectible "Blue Willow" pattern. The platter is in vibrant hues of blue and the transfer is ...
Ceramic
19th Century Blue Willow Platter from England
Located in High Point, NC
19th century Staffordshire platter in the highly collectible "Blue Willow" pattern. This platter features a combed back, which is typical in older Staffordshire...
Ceramic
Large English Ironstone Platter With Blue Willow Pattern
Located in Charlottesville, VA
A generously scaled English ironstone serving platter featuring the classic blue and white willow pattern. The transferware design depicts an idyllic chinoiserie landscape, bordered ...
Ironstone
Napoleon III Late 19th Century Majolica Duck
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
Napoleon III Late 19th Century Majolica Rooster Unique piece purchased in France. Age appropriate wear, see detailed photos or message us with questions.
Ceramic
$420Sale Price|30% Off
H 0.75 in W 6.25 in D 7.75 in
Antique Chinese Export Canton Blue Willow Gilt Plate Platter Tray 8"
Located in Dayton, OH
Small late 19th century Chinese Export porcelain platter / plate - rectangular in shape with rounded corners and gilt detail at the edge, decorated with a Blue Willow style lands and...
Porcelain
$2,551
H 4.93 in W 7.09 in D 7.09 in
19th Century Victorian Sterling Silver Butter Dish with Cow Finial
Located in London, London
Hallmarked in London in 1867 by Edward Charles Brown, this charming, Victorian, Antique, Sterling Silver Butter Dish, features engr...
Sterling Silver
English c. 1900-1910 Wedgwood Blue Willow Pattern Platter
By Wedgewood
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Circa 1900-1910 Wedgwood Blue Willow pattern platter, England. Deep blue color and precisely applied transfer. Blue backstamp: Wedgwood & Co, Ltd,...
Ceramic
Pair of Gold Decorated Serving Bowls
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A pair of 24-karat acid etched gold on porcelain serving bowls. Antique and in wonderful condition. Perfect to use for your holiday table or simply stunning for display.
Gold
Large Oval English Japanned Platter
Located in Bradenton, FL
Rare 19th century English Ridgeway Imari pattern oval serving platter in excellent condition. The Bow and Quiver trade mark on reverse side was registered by Ridgeways in 1880. Rever...
Porcelain
$1,350 / item
H 24.81 in W 15.36 in D 13 in
Talavera Jar Decorative Vase Folk Art Vessel Mexican Ceramic Blue White
By Cesar
Located in Queretaro, Queretaro
Elegant white and blue jar made with the authentic Talavera technique. Master artisan, Cesar Torres portraits the colonial art of Mexico. The Talavera is not just a simple painted ceramic: its exquisite decoration is the product of a delicate process of alchemy that translates into fine enamels. In Puebla, Mexico few people still produce using Talavera with the ancestral techniques. One of those few is Cesar Torres, Don Cesar...
Ceramic, Clay, Majolica
19th C Collection of Bennington Pie Plates - 5pc
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19Th C Collection of Bennington Pie Plates - 5pc. Measurements are approximate 3 Large plates measure 9.5 x 1 2 smaller plates measure 9 x .75.
Pottery
19thc Original Patinaed Brass Wall Tray
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19Thc Original patinaed brass tray with wall hangers for hanging up or putting on a ottoman. It has a amazing age patina surface. The condition is very ...
Brass
19th Century Sponge Ware Serving Platters, 5
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This collection of five sponge ware pottery oval platters are in pristine condition and all have slight different hand painted glazes. Great to find in such nice colors and pristine ...
Pottery