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The History of the
Adirondack Chair
An Adirondack Chair (or in some parts of Canada, a Muskoka chair) is a style of chair used primarily outdoors. The original Adirondack chair was designed by Thomas Lee in 1903. He was on vacation in Westport, New York and needed outdoor chairs for his summer home. His family tested the original designs.
The first Adirondack chair was made with 11 pieces of wood, cut from a single board. It had a straight back and seat, which were set at an angle for comfort on the steep mountain inclines of the area. It also featured wide paddle armrests, which became a distinctive attribute of the Adirondack chair.
Today's Adirondack chairs usually feature a rounded or fan back and contoured seat. The style has also been translated to other pieces of furniture, including rockers,gliders benches ad swings. Today's Adirondack Chairs are made from a variety of materials including ipe, teak, cedar, cypress, pine, recycled plactics and even metal.
After arriving at a final design for the "Westport plank chair," Lee offered it to Harry Bunnell, a carpenter friend in Westport, who was in need of extra income. Bunnell quickly realized the potential and that the chair was the perfect item to sell to Westport's summer residents, and apparently without asking Lee's permission, Bunnell filed for and received patent 794,777 in 1905. Bunnell manufactured his Adirondack chairs for the next twenty years. His "Westport Chairs" were all signed and made of hemlock in green or medium dark brown. Two of his chairs recently sold at auction for over $6000. The "Adirondack" name comes from the mountains which are located near Westport.
An Adirondack Chair (or in some parts of Canada, a Muskoka chair) is a style of chair used primarily outdoors. The original Adirondack chair was designed by Thomas Lee in 1903. He was on vacation in Westport, New York and needed outdoor chairs for his summer home. His family tested the original designs.
The first Adirondack chair was made with 11 pieces of wood, cut from a single board. It had a straight back and seat, which were set at an angle for comfort on the steep mountain inclines of the area. It also featured wide paddle armrests, which became a distinctive attribute of the Adirondack chair.
Today's Adirondack chairs usually feature a rounded or fan back and contoured seat. The style has also been translated to other pieces of furniture, including rockers,gliders benches ad swings. Today's Adirondack Chairs are made from a variety of materials including ipe, teak, cedar, cypress, pine, recycled plactics and even metal.
After arriving at a final design for the "Westport plank chair," Lee offered it to Harry Bunnell, a carpenter friend in Westport, who was in need of extra income. Bunnell quickly realized the potential and that the chair was the perfect item to sell to Westport's summer residents, and apparently without asking Lee's permission, Bunnell filed for and received patent 794,777 in 1905. Bunnell manufactured his Adirondack chairs for the next twenty years. His "Westport Chairs" were all signed and made of hemlock in green or medium dark brown. Two of his chairs recently sold at auction for over $6000. The "Adirondack" name comes from the mountains which are located near Westport.
Choose Adirondack Chairscrafted from a variety of exotic woods. Charleston Chair offers Teak Adirondack Chairs, Pine Adirondack Chairs, and Ipe Adirondack Chairs (Brazilian Walnut). Select from over 24 colors applied to our kiln dried Pine Adirondack Chairs or stay natural with a beautiful oiled Ipe Adirondack Chair.
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