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.
$1,496Sale Price|34% Off
Poster from Atelier Fornasetti, 1990s
Located in Montelabbate, PU
Fornasetti panel, printed silk enclosed between 2 Plexiglas panels, Compagnia del Tabacco 1990. Below left the Fornasetti brand and Tobacco Company.
Silk, Acrylic
1990 Monte Carlo Country Club - Razzia Original Vintage Poster
By Razzia (Gérard Courbouleix–Dénériaz)
Located in Winchester, GB
Gorgeous poster for the Monte Carlo Country Club created by the iconic poster designer Razzia. Founded in 1893, the Monte Carlo Country Club is just outside of the Monaco principalit...
Paper
1990 World Cup Italia '90 Original Vintage Poster
Located in Winchester, GB
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It was held in Italy from 8th June to 8th July 1990. The t...
Paper
1990 World Cup Italia '90 Original Vintage Poster
Located in Winchester, GB
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It was held in Italy from 8th June to 8th July 1990. The t...
Paper
Italian Alphabet Poster printed in Parma by Forme in 1990s
Located in Roma, IT
A poster printed during the 90s in Parma by Forme but in a 50s style. This Poster in fact reproduces an old Italian alphabet, which makes some letters of the alphabet correspond to t...
Beech, Paper
"MARILYN" poster based on a design by Andy Warhol, Italy 1990
Located in Naples, IT
Color screen print on paper, based on an advertising photograph from the 1953 film "Niagara" in which Monroe starred. The image shows a portrait of Marilyn Monroe made with the silks...
Paper
Rare Original Rolling Stones Design Concert Poster, Prague / 1990
Located in Praha, CZ
- 1990s - original poster, no reproduction !! - suitable for framing - one small damage jr
Paper
$346
H 15.5 in W 11 in D 0.1 in
'The Terminator' Original Vintage Movie Poster by Milan Pecák, Czech, 1990
Located in Devon, GB
Along with Jakub Erol's stylized design for the Polish release, celebrated Czech artist Milan Pecák's imposing illustration of Arnold Schwarzenegger as 'The Terminator' is one of the...
Paper
Framed Eames Poster from Trapholt Museum (Denmark) Exhibition
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Stunning and vibrant poster from Trapholt art museum in Denmark to commemorate a 1998 exhibition featuring the designs of Charles and Ray Eames. In excellent condition, recently prof...
Paper
"Vintage poster "Night over Jerusalem" by Piero Fornasetti
Located in Benalmadena, ES
Serigraphic poster "Notte su Gerusalemme" from the 90s, originally designed by Piero Fornasetti in the 60s. This fabulous piece of Italian art captures the mysterious and evocative atmosphere of Jerusalem on a starry night...
Paper
1990 Eduardo Chillida - Galerie Lelong Original Vintage Poster
Located in Winchester, GB
Featuring a typical monochrome and abstract design, this beautiful poster advertises Eduardo Chillida's exhibition at the Galerie Lelong in Paris, France. Running from October to Nov...
Paper
$340Sale Price|20% Off
H 14 in W 18 in D 0.01 in
Keith Haring Activist poster 1990 (Keith Haring AIDS Dance-A-Thon)
By Keith Haring
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Keith Haring AIDS Dance-A-Thon New York, NY 1990: Rare early 1990s Keith Haring foundation sponsored event poster - published on the occasion of AIDS Dance-A-Thon shortly after Hari...
Paper
'Star Wars' Original Vintage Movie Poster, Russian, 1990
Located in Devon, GB
One of the first big premieres of Western cinema in the Soviet Union, 'Star Wars' was finally theatrically released in the former USSR in the summer of 1990. One of four rare and sou...
Paper