Carolines Adirondack Patio Furniture

The original design for the adirondack chair was devised by one Thomas Lee in 1903. While vacationing with his family in Westport, New York, Lee saw the need for an outdoor seating solution for his summer home there. He designed a chair with wide armrests and a seat that was slanted backwards at an incline, and a straight back. The purpose of the slanted seat was to make it more comfortable for users to sit in in the steep mountainous terrain found in Westport. The first adirondack chair was made out of eleven pieces of wood cut from the same plank.

If Lee had kept the design to himself, it would probably would not be nearly as well known and widespread. As luck would have it, however, he shared it with Harry Bunnell. Harry Bunnell was a carpenter acquaintance of Thomas Lee, who lived in Westport. Bunnell was hard pressed, at that time, to make any money in the winter. He realized that the new chair would be a popular item with the snowbirds who came to Westport every summer. It is unclear whether Bunnell asked Lee permission first, but in 1905 he was awarded a patent on the design of the Adirondack chair, which he called "westpoint chairs." He would go on to make the chairs for another twenty years. He even signed every one.

Adirondack Chair Plans and Instructions - Making Cedar Furniture

A few things have changed in the adirondack chair over the years. For one thing, they are sometimes made of composite materials today, instead of just wood. Another difference from the original is the back and seat. The original had a flat seat, while most chairs today have a contoured seat. The top of the back of the chair now is rounded off, so often is it so, that the rounded back has come to be thought to be a defining feature, alongside the oversized armrests and backwards slanted seat. The design of the adirondack chair has become widely popular. The comfortable design not only makes for a durable and comfortable outside seating choice, but the design is well thought out, and sound enough to be applied to other larger pieces of furniture, such as love seats and gliders.

It is a little known fact that the original rocking chair was designed as a piece of garden patio furniture. The original rocking chair was nothing more than a regular chair with a rocker attached to each leg, that was used for weeding and other tasks that would usually require bending over. Since then many varieties were innovated. What good is a garden if you can't sit outside and enjoy it? Very little, if you ask me. For this reason there are all kinds of garden furniture on the market. Another material often used is wood. Several types of wood have been found to be extremely suitable for garden patio furniture. Wooden outdoor furniture needs to be treated with some type of preservative to keep it from rotting or warping as a result of the weather. Cedar is one type, and has a natural red color and distinctive smell. Aspen has a white color and a smooth texture. Teak is oftentimes used in garden patio furniture. Rattan garden furniture is made up of many twisted together pieces of pliable reeds, and it oftentimes is a cost effective alternative to wood furniture. Rattan garden patio furniture should be treated gently, however, because it has the tendency to come apart. Metals are used in garden patio furniture as well. Aluminum isn't toxic or magnetic. It also has excellent corrosion resistance. Garden patio furniture made out of aluminum has several good points. It keeps it's shape, and even though it is light, aluminum garden patio furniture is much stronger than plastic. Aluminum is an solid material for garden patio furniture because it requires almost no maintenance. There are three types of aluminum that are used in the manufacturing of garden patio furniture. The three types are tubular aluminum, wrought aluminum, and cast aluminum. Wrought aluminum is somewhat like wrought iron except that it is much lighter and it is designed to look the same. Tubular aluminum is very light and easy to move, but isn't as durable as the other two kinds. But by far, the strongest of these three types is cast aluminum. Wrought iron garden furniture is very durable, but also heavy, and often times, expensive.