The Adirondack
Another of my favorite things is the beautiful simplicity of the Adirondack chair.
The original chair design was by Thomas Lee who vacationed with his family in Westport, New York, nestled along the shore of Lake Champlain. Lee was a Harvard law school student but dropped out because he wanted to work in nature and felt more at home in the Adirondacks.
During one summer vacation in Westport, Lee became unsatisfied with the comfort and durability of the Victorian furniture that was available so he decided to build a chair that could handle the rugged terrain of the Adirondacks. He began working on prototypes using knot-free slabs of eastern hemlock. To perfect the chair, Lee had family members test out each prototype before moving on to the next one.
After numerous woodworking and test-lounging sessions, Lee eventually revealed his creation. He called it the “Westport” chair. Aside from the name, the original chair design had another key difference from today’s version — the seat and back were not slatted but made from single pieces of wood.
Lee’s friend Harry Bunnell, a furniture maker, patented Lee’s design in 1904. When the chairs became popular and profitable, it’s unknown whether Lee regretted his decision to give Bunnell the chair design.
Sometimes also called a Cape Cod or Muskoka, the Adirondack chair seems to have different names depending on what area you live in. The chair style was prevalent in the health spas created for tuberculosis patients who came to the Adirondack Mountains for fresh air in the early 20th century. When the chair design found its way to Canada, the term "Muskoka chair" was born, after the name of the quintessential cottage district there.
Due to their reclined nature, Adirondack chairs are meant for relaxing and dozing. Specifically made for uneven terrain, these somewhat awkwardly sized chairs have wide, flat armrests that sit perpendicular to the front legs. The chairs are low but support your body nicely and look beautiful, too.
We had a pair of wood Adirondack chairs on the hill in front of the Viisi (No. 5) cabin for many decades. Painted bright white, they were always an inviting place to sit to take in the views, pause to have a conversation, or to get a little sun and enjoy your morning coffee. That’s me standing in front of them in 1975.
I purchased a couple cedar Adirondacks last year and will be adding a few more this season. This lasting design will always have a home at Otter Lake.
Photo credits: Liza McArdle, Manninen archives.