Good ol' Adirondacks

What comes to mind when you imagine yourself on Martha's Vineyard or sitting in an open yard on the east coast watching the waves roll in? I believe most people see themselves reclining comfortably in a sturdy, brightly painted Adirondack chair with the breeze sweeping across their out stretched legs as they lazily dream the day away.

It is long been told that just after the turn of the century, a man had a desire to make a really comfortably yard chair to spruce up his summer beach house in the heart of New York State's Adirondack woodland preserve. His name was Thomas Lee. Soon he began fastening pine boards together; testing the styles he came up with a number of reliable family members. His pine chairs were calculated by using a single pine plank and the unique element of wide armrests that have become the identifying characteristic of the Adirondack style. Once Mr. Lee was satisfied with his design for the "Westport plank chair," he offered it to an out of work friend that was a carpenter by trade.

Mr. Lee's friend was Harry Bunnell. Harry wasted no time and realized that this new fangled design of a chair was going to be just what the doctor ordered for Westport's summer residents and his bank account. In a not so friendly act Harry skipped asking for Thomas Lee's permission and filed for and received a patent only one short year after Thomas created the chair. Harry contrived and produced his flat timber chairs for the next twenty years. His chairs were all autographed and they were made exclusively of hemlock. Originally his chairs came in only two colors: green or a medium dark brown. Soon they became known as Adirondack chairs because it was there in the foothills that this classic and comfortable chair was birthed.

Adirondack chairs are a coveted treasure for anyone who has them. The magnificent design of the solid wood Adirondack chair still provides endless hours of comfort with the closely spaced, narrower slats, contoured backs and seats and the long-established wide armrests. Now you can literally decorate your entire yard or patio with the expansive collection of Adirondack furniture line: Chairs, (of course) ottomans, swings, gliders, rockers, benches, tables, love seats and chaises. And you can still find furniture made from white or cedar pine. White pine is strong, durable and lightweight wood. And pine furniture is a tremendous value due to the excessive and abundant amount of pine available for woodworking. Cedar is a wood that provide you with a lifetime of comfort and enjoyment. Of course as with any wood Adirondack chairs and furniture require a sealant to help protect and enhance the natural rot resistance of the wood. Cedar is unaffected by humidity so all the furniture is suitable for outdoor conditions unless otherwise stated when you purchase it. But Adirondack chairs and furniture are made from more than cedar and pine. Adirondack furniture can come from teak, mahogany, bamboo, recycled plastic and even engineered wood.

The cleaning and care of most Adirondack pieces requires a basic annual cleaning and common sense protection from the weather.

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