Adirondack chairs are one of our clear bestsellers, all thanks to their distinctive New England style and comfortable, sturdy design. Here at POLYWOOD we’re lucky to be able to offer our customers Adirondack chairs in an enormous range of styles and colours, as well as matching side tables, ottomans, gliders and bar stools all with the signature Adirondack styling.

Given how much love there is for the humble Adirondack, here at POLYWOOD we thought it might be interesting to delve into the history of the Adirondack Chair and find out why it’s become such a classic of the outdoor furniture world. It turns out the design we know today as the Adirondack chair was all down to a man called Thomas Lee, an American who way back in 1903 was on a mission to design a new type of outdoor chair. Lee had become frustrated with what was on offer for his perfect outdoor perch and in particular was hoping to find something comfortable to sit in in the garden of his New England holiday home.

Working away on the front lawn of his holiday cabin in Westport, New York State, Lee nailed together simple boards of wood, all taken from one tree, and came up with seven different prototype chairs. He invited his family to try them out and the one they chose, with a gently sloped seat and wide, stable armrests, is what we now know of as the iconic Adirondack shape. And where did the name Adirondack come from? Westport NY is near the beautiful Adirondack Mountains and the chair design has become synonymous with the area.

For many years wood was the chosen material for Adirondack Chairs, but thanks to the innovative POLYWOOD ‘lumber’ you can now have your favourite outdoor perch in a material that is weather-proof and durable and keeps single use plastic out of landfill. Each of our Adirondack chairs is crafted from approximately 250 plastic bottles but looks and feels just like the traditional wooden material. You can browse our range of Adirondack chairs, benches, gliders and more by clicking here.