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.
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Cotton, Linen, Wicker, Rattan, Wood
2010s Indian Adirondack Furniture
Wool, Silk, Cotton
Mid-19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Pottery
2010s American Adirondack Furniture
Plastic
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Iron
20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Hemp, Natural Fiber
20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Cotton
Mid-19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Hickory
21st Century and Contemporary American Adirondack Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Adirondack Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Pottery
1910s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Iron
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Stoneware
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Hemp
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Pottery
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Iron
2010s American Adirondack Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Bronze
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Wood
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Wood
1850s American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Wood
20th Century Adirondack Furniture
Foam, Wool, Cotton
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Wool
1930s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Down
1980s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Copper
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Copper
Mid-20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century Dutch Adirondack Furniture
Cotton
20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Teak
Mid-20th Century Adirondack Furniture
Wool
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Cotton, Wool
Mid-20th Century Hong Kong Adirondack Furniture
Bamboo
Late 20th Century Adirondack Furniture
Wicker
1930s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Hickory
1940s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Linen
1940s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Wool
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Linen
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Wool
1950s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Linen, Wool
Mid-20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Wool
Early 20th Century Mexican Adirondack Furniture
Wool
1930s Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Wool, Linen
1940s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Wool
1930s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Wool, Linen
1940s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Bronze
1930s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Hickory, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Adirondack Furniture
Wood
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Wood
1930s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Wood, Hickory
1860s American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Wood
1940s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Hickory
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Wood
1960s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Bronze
1960s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Bronze
1940s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Wool, Linen