An Adirondack chair (or in Canada, a Muskoka chair) is a type of
chair used primarily in an outdoors setting. The first Adirondack chair
was designed by Thomas Lee in 1903. He was on vacation in Westport, New
York and he needed outdoor chairs for his summer home. He tested the
first designs on his family.
The original Adirondack Chair was made with eleven pieces of wood,
cut from a single board. It had a straight back and seat, which were set
at a slant to sit better on the steep mountain inclines of the area. It
also featured wide armrests which became a hallmark of the Adirondack
Chair.
The Adirondack Chair might have stayed in Lee's back yard, except for
his friend Harry Bunnell. Bunnell had a small carpentry shop and needed
a source of winter income. He used Lee's idea and started to create the
chairs.
In 1905, Bunnell received a patent for the "Westport Chair". For the
next twenty years, Bunnell produced these chairs. All of his "Westports"
were signed, made out of Hemlock and painted green or dark brown.
Today's Adirondack Chairs usually feature a rounded back and
contoured seat. The style has also been translated to other pieces of
furniture, anything from Gliders to Love Seats. Some modern adirondack
chairs can be made out of recycled plastic lumber in addition to wood.
The Canadian name comes from an outdoor recreational region in
southern Ontario north of Toronto where city people have summer cabins
on the smaller lakes as Lake Muskoka, St. Joseph Lake, Lake Simcoe etc.
called Muskoka.
The Adirondack Chair Plans from Furniture Den's
design focus carry on the strong tradition of
the outdoor chair; they are fun and easy to make while comfortable and
leisurely to sit in. Furniture Den's
design focus strives to contribute to the
time tested history of the Adirondack Chair design by staying true to
the original design while adapting it for greater comfort and ease of
construction.
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