Wooden Deck Chairs

Sometime over the decades, styles of deck chairs migrated to dry land, and now are found on beaches and around pools everywhere. But 'land chairs' also borrowed the name deck chair for any chair that could be found on a wooden deck as well, like a backyard patio, a porch, a pool deck, or any other form of balcony or deck. Wooden deck chairs are perhaps the most popular non-marine deck chairs. Though many models are still made to be folding, most are not, except those that have adjustable back rests. They come in many styles, here are a few of the most common.

Lounger or reclining wooden deck chairs are the chair of choice for many pool decks, and backyard or house decks. Most of them have solid frames; they are made of thicker wood than the light portable deck chairs. Cruise ships use lighter wood frames or plastic frames so the chairs can be moved around easily, but land-based resorts, particularly around pools, can use heavier chairs as they often remain in fixed positions year round, only moved for cleaning or re-arranging. As you see in the examples up top in the header, in the right photo, they can have wheels at one end for easy wheeling to a new position on the deck, but are heavy so are not easy to move long distances. They usually have an adjustable backrest so you can sit up to look at the view and visit, or lie down flat for napping and tanning. Luxury cruise line decks sometimes feature these heavier wooden deck chairs, but in today's 'convenience' world most of them use lighter versions.
     Below: a double-Adirondack-chair set, with table; a modern Adirondack chair; a couple wooden rocking chairs on an oceanview deck; a sturdy and sylish bamboo porch chair with palm leaf design; some contemporary, very modern wooden waiting chairs.

The Adirondack chair is perhaps the most common and recognizable of the wooden deck chairs. This chair has little to do with beaches and cruise ships, and is lumped in the broad category of 'deck chairs' referring to decks found around the home, such as patios, porches, balconies, and viewing decks. A man named Thomas Lee is credited with inventing the style; he was visiting Westport, New York, a city in the Adirondack Mountains, and was inventing comfortable designs for chairs for his summer home. He created the Adirondack chair style in stages, testing progressive versions with his family until he arrived at a simple but efficient design, made out of exactly 11 strips of wood cut from one board. The backrest and seat were originally straight, though modern models feature curves. And the whole chair was low and slanted back, to compensate for the steep inclines of the mountains upon which they had to sit. Wide armrests helped to relax you during the long sitting periods watching the views, and to facilitate holding drinks while doing so.

Today's Adirondack chairs are a little more complex and comfortable than the originals, but the basics of the design are still there. They can be found in gardens, backyards, in outdoor cafes, and in resorts, especially on private resort beaches and poolsides. Interesting versions are made, like Adirondack-style sofas, and double or triple chairs attached together, even with small tables built in between them.

Other wooden deck chairs are popular; all kinds of porch and patio chairs can be classed as wooden deck chairs, from sturdy bamboo chairs to wooden loveseats, from wooden rocking chairs meant for porches, to interesting contemporary designs.
     Below: a few more interesting wooden deck chairs: a pair of wicker and wood rocking chairs; a hanging loveseat and frame, in a yard; a wooden rocking loveseat; some all-wood rocking chairs on a porch.