Now that we’re deep into summer, I’ve been thinking about outdoor seating — more precisely, outdoor lounge seating. How can one even mention this category without considering the iconic Adirondack chair?
The Adirondack chair is a classic lounger that has endured for more than a century. The history in brief: in the early 1900s, a gentleman named Thomas Lee needed a chair stable enough to sit firmly on mountain terrain. He created the Westport (NY) chair for that purpose.
His friend Harry Bunnell tinkered with the design, got a patent, and started selling it. (No hard feelings; Lee was already loaded.) Over time, the name evolved from the Westport chair to the Adirondack chair.
That’s the backstory. Since then, America (and parts of Canada) has engaged in a serious love affair with the Adirondack chair.
As with design icons such as the Eames Lounge Chair, it is difficult to consider the chair out of context. It speaks of the outdoors, relaxation, and vacation mode as much as the Eames connotes midcentury masculinity in all of its misguided, martini-soaked, cigarette-smoke-saturated glory.
But here’s the thing (the “truth” mentioned in the title, finally). Adirondack chairs‘ low seat (a 15″ seat front in some cases) and dramatic pitch aren’t always ideal. For one thing, they can be difficult to get out of. I don’t think it’s a short person thing, or a lack of core strength thing (my core is pretty ok, actually). I just think the pitch of some chairs is so deep…they’re great once you’re down, but not so much when you want to be up.
For the same reason, I find them not ideal for conversation. It’s tough to lean forward with intensity as you engage in an intense discussion about…oh. Wait.
Maybe that’s the point. Maybe you’re not meant to engage in an intense discussion when you’re sitting in an Adirondack chair. You’re meant to relax. To enjoy the scenery — and the company, but on a mellow level. Ah.
In any event, the name “Adirondack chair” does not appear to be proprietary, which is good news for us. It means that the design isn’t fixed; there are many Adirondack STYLE chairs to choose from. There’s super deep and shallow, wood and all-weather resin (ideally made with recycled materials), folding and immobile.
So keep the love affair going, Gentle Readers. Remember my light bulb moment about conversation and keep things mellow. And have a friend at the ready. The friend can either help you get out of the chair, or, better yet, bring you the drink you were going to fetch yourself.
Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, DC, and we have offices in St. Michaels, Maryland (where the white chairs above are located) and Middlebury, Vermont. Our style? Where classic and modern hang out and drink gin.
