History of the Adirondack Chairs:
The Adirondack chair, or as many Canadians call it, the “Muskoka Chair” is a style of chair favoured for outdoor settings. The idea and design of the Adirondack chair is attributed to an American Thomas Lee in 1903.
Thomas Lee was on vacation in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains, located in the state of New York. Here, Thomas Lee needed comfortable chairs as this was his summer home. Lee began to design and construct the chair we know as the Adirondack chair.
He made the patio chair with eleven pieces of wood cut from a single board. Both, the seat and back were straight and then set at an angle. The seat and back were set at an angle so the chair would sit leveled on the mountain inclines. Lee designed the arms extra wide which is the hallmark of the chair. The entire design was made with purpose and functionality.
The chair was first known as the Westport Plank chair, Westoport a town located in the Adirondack Mountains and later known as the later. In Canada we have called it the Muskoka chair.
Lee offered the chair to Harry Bunnell, a friend who was living in Westport. Buell a carpenter by trade saw the opportunity and its alleged he filed and received the patent (794,777) for the chair in 1905. For the next 20 years Bunnell manufactured the Adirondack patio chairs out of hemlock. He made the patio chairs in either green or brown.
Today, Adirondack chair accessories seemendless, foot extensions, cup holders, headrest cushions, and side tables to list a few. Moreover, you will find these chairs on decks and backyards not just in cottage country but in large urban centers like Toronto.
Wood was the material of choice for the past 100 years. Today in an effort towards sustainable environmental practices the popularity has grown as many are now constructed out of 100{935df326bf8786fd6731f48a04668d2c59cbc638da1dd11cbd372b56fcc68833} recycled plastic. The advances in the manufacturing process make these patio chairs fit for all seasons.
The chairs have always been a favourite for cottagers alike. Seating on the deck or dock overlooking the water, relaxing while around the fire or lounging in the sun are a hand-full of the uses. Today, we find the chairs have settled in the urban landscape. Located in urban backyards, sitting on the balcony of a Toronto downtown condo, or out-front a posh Yonge Street Cafe.
The Adirondack chair or as we Canadians call it the “Muskoka Chair,” has survived over the past 100 years and has again reasserted itself as a popular, practical and perhaps importantly environmentally friendly chairs. Toronto, patio furniture has never been so inspiring and relaxing.
