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.
$1,996Sale Price|20% Off
Hickory Coffee Table with Slat Top
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Old Hickory Slat wood Coffee table with Hickory base. Coffee table is in great condition. the slats are amazing and in great shape. this hickory table is strong and sturdy. well kept...
Hickory
Rustic Cedar Desk With Woven Birch Bark Marquetry
Located in Northport, MI
Crafted with naturalistic charm and thoughtful functionality, this rustic lodge-style desk features a hand-built design that brings the outdoors inside. The tabletop is formed from s...
Birch, Cedar
American Rustic Game Table, 19th Century, Slat Twig Design, Chessboard
Located in Queens, NY
American rustic Adirondack square game table (with 19th Century elements) with slat twig and root design base and penwork chess / chessboard center top.
Wood
19thc Wooden Lift top Farm Table/ Coffee Table from New England
Located in Los Angeles, CA
New England lift top table hand made from solid pine and thick 2 inch plank top. Wonderful original color. Great patina. Can be used as a table or bench. The top is removable.
Wood
Early Stenciled Hand Painted Parchessi Game Table C 1920
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Very special Parchessi table C 1920 with Stenciled aprons and a Fabulous hand painted top with vibrant colors and little hand painted faux wood grain panels mixed in the geometric de...
Hardwood, Paint
Mid 20thc Hickory Side Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mid 20thc Hickory Side Table. nice thick wooden slats on the top of the table. Very strong construction. Sturdy.
Wood
MId-Century Mahogany with Stenciled Tooled Leather Top Cocktail Table
Located in Germantown, MD
A MId-Century Fruitwood Two-Tier Coffee Table or Cocktail Table in good vintage condition. Measures 34.5" in diameter and stands 17 Tall. Lower tier clearance is 7".
Fruitwood
$2,750 / set
Black Painted Gaming Table & Chairs- 3pcs.
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This fine black painted pine gaming table is in fine condition and would also make a great kitchen or dinning table for a small dining area. The chairs are a fine shaker style ladder...
Wood
$4,400Sale Price|20% Off
18th Century Pennsylvania Walnut Tavern Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This 18th century Pennsylvania walnut tavern table is handmade nail and wood peg construction. It has wide three board top and pegs for the top of ...
Walnut
Rustic Driftwood Serpentine Console, Mid-Late 20th Century
Located in Pasadena, CA
This is an unusual and charming rustic serpentine form console. Although very rustic in materials and construction, the console takes the form of a sophisticated baroque console. Thi...
Wood
Mid Century Modern Black Walnut Live Edge Cocktail Table C1970
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fabulous hand crafted black walnut live edge cocktail table with fantastic graining. Bottle like legs support the weight and are very unique i...
Walnut
$1,836Sale Price|20% Off
Late 20th Century Coastal Rustic Custom-Made Driftwood and Twig Center Table
Located in North Fort Myers, FL
A one-of-a-kind custom-made side and or Center table crafted in the 1990s, featuring an organic driftwood and twig base with branch-like supports. The sculptural design is accented b...
Driftwood
19th Century Dairy Sorting Table with Tin Liner
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This 19th century pine sorting table has an old surface and a tin liner that is original. At one time the legs would fold up but has been made stationary and sturdy. It has all the o...
Wood
Faux Bamboo Cocktail Table
Located in New York, NY
Wood Base Faux Bamboo Glass Top Coffee Table. Glass has nice rounded corners for safety. Few scratches to glass from age and use. Good overall useable condition. Base can be shipped ...
Glass, Faux Bamboo
1950s Regency Style Mahogany Quadpod Lyre Pedestal Console Table
Located in Germantown, MD
A 1950s Regency Style Mahogany Quadpod Lyre Pedestal Console Table with brass cap paw feet and walnut burl skirt. Measures 42" in width, 21" in depth and stands 30.5" tall.
Brass
$3,800 / set
Pair of Adirondack-Style Twig Tables
Located in Chicago, IL
A chic pair of contemporary low tables, designed with a nod to the 19th century American Adirondack style, made from hundreds of twigs that have been bundled together, whittled at th...
Wood
19Thc Red Painted Sawbuck Side Table / Sofa Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19Thc Red painted side table or sofa table in fine condition. This table has a repainted crackle finish that was done much later.This is a very ...
Wood
19th Century Adirondack Twig Fern Stand
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique Adirondack Twig Fern Stand, Late 19th Century, a handcrafted pedestal stand made from black cherry branches, having a round pine board top with an applied stockade gallery of whittled and halved branch posts, raised on a crossed tripod of long branches, braced at bottom by branch stretchers. A classic and beautiful example of original Adirondack lodge homemade furniture...
Cherry
Antique Bar Harbor American wicker table, with a braided edge. C. 1910
Located in Atlanta, GA
Charming wicker side table in the Bar Harbor design. Bar Harbor wicker is known for the braided weave around the top of the table. The legs also have a great design, see in the imag...
Wicker
Natural varnish on this American Antique wicker table, w/ braided edge + Oak top
Located in Atlanta, GA
I love the color of this natural American Wicker table, c. 1910. The table has old varnish on the legs and the color looks great. The top of the table is American Oak. Th...
Wicker
Rare 8-legged American Wicker Side table, Bar Harbor Pineapple feet + 2 shelves
Located in Atlanta, GA
Rare American wicker table with 8! pineapple feet. Very charming. The top is really octagonal, not round. 2 shelves. The top could use a fresh coat of paint.
Wicker
Rustic Adirondack-Style Dining Table by Attributed Ben Davis
By Ben Davis
Located in Queens, NY
American Rustic Adirondack-style rectangular dining table with slat knotty trimmed apron and pine top
Pine
20Thc Square Side or Dinning Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
20Thc Original black painted turned leg side table or end table or even could be used as a small dinning table.The condition is very good...
Pine
19Thc Folky Sled Table in Original Red Paint
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19Thc Original salmon painted sled made into a double shelf table.This table is strong and sturdy.Fantastic coffee table.
Pine
Rustic Adirondack Round Coffee Table, Root Pedestal Base, Circa 1970s
Located in Queens, NY
Rustic Adirondack-style (modern) round coffee table with root pedestal bases with 3 legs.
Wood
1970s Artisan Compass Table with Abalone & Mother-of-Pearl Inlay
Located in Charleston, SC
Artisan Crafted Specimen Compass Table A stunning table inlaid with abalone shell, mother of pearl, and marble to form a compass rose on the table top. Satin wood and teak, zebra wood and other exotic wood compromises the table. The table has a marine grade...
Marble
Vintage Rustic Iron & Pine "Lone Wolf" Table
By Victor Brauner
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Bring home vintage furniture worth howling over with this fantastically unique "Lone Wolf" side table. Built in a transitional industrial/ru...
Metal, Iron
Adirondack Twig Table & Basket. Great Character.
Located in Buchanan, MI
Adirondack Twig Table & Basket. The table measures 26" tall. The base is 17" wide and 17" deep, while the top measures 12 1/2" wide and 12 1/2" deep. The basket measures 10" wide...
Twig
Early Folk Art Splayed Three Leg Milking Stool with Array of Colors
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Sculptural 3 legged milking stool with multiple layers of paint. Rectangular top with a hand hole cut thru the center and supported by 3 turned legs. Their is a marking with letters ...
Hardwood, Paint
Rustic Adirondack Pine Dining Table, French 1940s, Rectangular Design
Located in Queens, NY
Rustic Adirondack-style (French 1940s) chipped pine rectangular dining table with a stretcher (Related Items: 060975, 060977, 060979)
Pine