Eric Rolek Design

This chair was influenced by the traditional Adirondack chair designed by Thomas Lee in 1903.  I wanted to redesign the chair from the original style but still maintain some of the traditional features.  Adirondack chairs are commonly characterized by their wide arm rests, horizontal board seat, vertical board backrest and the reclining angle between backrest and seat pan.

 

For this iteration I wanted to alter the design but stay true the original characteristics of an Adirondack chair.  Initially I redesigned the look between the legs and armrests. Instead of the traditional legs that are straight vertical to the armrests, I choose to curve the front legs towards the back and make the armrest cantilever outwards. The back legs also curve downwards from the connection to the front legs. Common Adirondacks have a straight board proceeding diagonally from the front leg connection to the ground.  Altering the legs of the design gives it an innovative look that still resembles the traditional Adirondack.

 

The wood used for this chair is constructed from cypress hardwood that is finished with gradual layers of clear polyurethane.  To further this design from the tradition Adirondack chair, I wrapped the seat pan and backrest in 3/8” diamond braid polypropylene rope.  I followed the Adirondack look by making the rope for the seat pan horizontal and backrest rope vertical.  All combined the chair used just shy of 200 ft of rope.

 

The chair was built like a traditional Adirondack chair by assembling flat boards together to form the shape.  I cut and joined boards to form the shape of the base legs.  These were then connected to a central seat pan frame.  The seat pan frame is a trapezoid shape that is wider near the front to allow easy access into the chair. From the base frame was connected a backrest frame that mirrors the trapezoid shape found in the seat pan.

 

The traditional Adirondack chair is known for its comfort due to the degree between the backrest and seat pan.  The rope used for the seat and backrest provide stability and comfort.  Whoever sits in the chair is provided with a truly tailored experience.  The rope absorbs and conforms to each individual body structure in a way that can’t be found in most chairs.