Adirondack Chairs

The American Summer Lawn Chair

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Adirondack chairs are just about as close to perfection that you can get for all around comfort and flexibility. They are at home on the beach, on your deck, nestled in a meadow beside a stream or circled around a fire pit where friends and family will gather. The one drawback to Adirondack chairs has always been the maintenance. Summer is a carefree time year that in colder climates comes too late and usually leaves to early; leaving little time for painting and sanding chairs, tables and foot stools that are meant for “relaxation”. A new breed of Adirondack chairs have solved this problem by recreating our favorite lawn chair with the same classic look and texture of wood, without the maintenance! These sturdy Adirondack chairs we recommend are reasonably priced (under $300) and are constructed of tough recycled plastic polymer that is as strong as wood, but is unaffected by sun, rain, snow, saltwater, or chlorine. They never need painting and come in a variety of fun colors to compliment any landscape. Best of all the editors at Hardy Gardening have found these great chairs at one of our favorite partners, Orvis. For those of you who are traditionalists about your Adirondack chairs being constructed from wood, we recommend the all teak Adirondack chairs from our partner Smith & Hawken. At under $300, these are the best value for sustainably harvested teak, paired with excellent craftsmanship.

Read on to learn about the interesting history of the adirondack chair.

The All American Lawn Chair

The  tale behind the origination of the Adirondack chair began in 1903 with a gentleman by the name of Thomas Lee. Lee possessed a beautiful summer place in Westport, NY located on Lake Champlain, and like many who frequented their summer houses to escape the stress of everyday life, the Lee family spent considerable time outside during the summer. Thomas Lee’s main problem at the beginning of the summer of 1903 wasn’t with his home, or his view of the lake, or with his neighbors who frequently visited the Lee home during the summer; the problem was that Lee didn’t have one decent piece of outdoor furniture. Now, as we all know, standing up while viewing the splendor of a summer sunset is pleasant, but watching that sunset while comfortably seated with a glass of wine in hand is always preferred. Understanding this dilemma, Lee set out to build his family the ultimate lawn chair. But he didn’t want to make just any old chair. This chair needed to be comfortable and durable, have a solid surface to rest a glass, and above all, be sturdy when placed on the sloping terrain of the Adirondack region. Lee tried out several different designs and, using his family members as “test sitters,” all 22 of them; he eventually settled on a chair constructed from eleven pieces of wood all cut from one single plank

Now, things would have been just fine for the Lee family if the story ended here. They were all comfortable, they were all relaxed, and most importantly, they were all off the ground. It was a splendid summer and life was good. Lee excited about his new creation stopped by to show off his design to his good friend and fishing partner Harry Bunnell. Bunnell, a local carpenter who owned a modest shop in town, took an immediate liking to Lee’s new design. As the two men discussed the chair, Bunnell suggested he could build Lee’s chairs at his wood shop in the off-season and then sell them the following season to summer residents that flocked to the area. Bunnell could make a few extra dollars during those cold Adirondack winters; Lee’s chairs would get sold. It was a win-win. Lee lent the plans to Bunnell and, with nothing more than a handshake and a smile to seal the deal, Bunnell set to work cranking out Lee’s chairs. That winter, Bunnell toiled away, building Lee’s chairs out of hemlock or basswood and staining them in green or medium dark brown. As soon as the Westport residents saw the new chairs, they snapped them up. Bunnell realized he had a huge seller on his hands and had to act fast. In early April of 1904 (and without asking for Lee’s permission) Bunnell filed for a patent (No. 794,777) on “his” new chair design naming it the Westport Plank Chair. Harry Bunnell manufactured the Westport Plank Chair for the next twenty years putting his signature on each one. Today, original signed Bunnell chairs are extremely sought after, and can fetch thousands at auction. Over the years, artists, carpenters, and weekend craftsmen have all created their own interpretations of this classic design and over time, these slant-back, low-seated, wide arm-rested chairs became officially known as “Adirondack chairs, the true all-American lawn chair!