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.
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Adirondack Furniture
Oak
1920s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Cast Stone
1980s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Copper
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Tin, Metal
Mid-20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Copper
Mid-20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Cedar
19th Century Central American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Iron
1920s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Rattan
1940s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Wool
1940s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Wool, Leather
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Wool
20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Cotton
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Wool, Cotton
1880s American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Pottery
1870s American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Pine
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Tin
1870s American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Pottery
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Hemp
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Alabaster
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Pottery
1870s American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Cotton
1870s American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Wool, Cotton, Velvet
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Wool, Paint
Early 20th Century Adirondack Furniture
Hickory, Wood
Late 20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Hickory
Late 20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Fabric
Early 20th Century Adirondack Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Cherry
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Wool
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Wood
20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Wood
1890s American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Brass, Iron
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Pottery
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Wood
1930s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Down
1940s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Oak, Pine
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Pottery
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Pottery
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Pottery
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Pottery
20th Century Adirondack Furniture
Cement
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Pottery
Mid-19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Pottery
Mid-19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Pottery
Early 2000s Adirondack Furniture
Iron
20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Teak
Late 20th Century Adirondack Furniture
Bamboo
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century North American Adirondack Furniture
Oak
1930s American Vintage Adirondack Furniture
Wool
1870s Antique Adirondack Furniture
Wool
2010s American Adirondack Furniture
Wool
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Iron
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Wicker
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Furniture
Metal