What Makes a Chair an Adirondack Chair?
At a bit over 100 years old, the Adirondack chair has stood the test of time to become a true American classic.� Nothing suggests summer leisure quite as much as a grouping of Adirondack chairs, ideally close by a body of water or on a sweeping porch.
Over the course 100 years, craftspeople of all skill levels have had made their own versions of an Adirondack chair.� Some of these designs have been more successful than others but all pay homage to the original.� The variations are so diverse that it makes it difficult to even define just what makes a chair an Adirondack chair.� It is, however, one of those things you know when you see it, even if you don’t know exactly why.
Having said that, let’s take a stab at listing the defining characteristics of an Adirondack chair.
First, it was originally intended as outdoor furniture for summer lounging in the Adirondack Mountains of New York.� However, some designers have used Adirondack chairs to good effect as indoor chairs.
The original Adirondack chairs were made of wood.� The purist in me feels that still defines a classic Adirondack chair, although I won’t quibble with those who admire chairs made of metal, plastic, composite, fiberglass or whatever.� I’ll call them Adirondack chair wantabes and leave it at that.
A few aspects of design characterize an Adirondack chair.� The seat tends to be somewhat low to the ground – the better for lounging.� Also, the seat slopes downward from the front, encouraging one to slide in and settle down.
The posture of repose is also aided by the backward lean of the chair back.
Finally, an Adirondack chair must have wide arms.� These serve all manner of purposes, most importantly providing a resting place for a cool drink and a good novel.
But you don’t need to pay attention to all that.� You’ll know an Adirondack chair when you see one. The only real question is just where you’ll use it.