At Loll we have always been inspired by original design and when we first set out to make an Adirondack chair it had to be our own version. But truly we are all just making an iteration of the original Adirondack chair. The one that has always inspired us is the first, the Westport Chair designed by Thomas Lee in 1903 for his summer cottage overlooking Lake Champlain in Westport, NY. The Westport is undeniably the most iconic American outdoor lounge chair and the original design that spawned countless varieties all based on that 11 piece design statement. Lee was motivated to design a comfortable outdoor lounging chair for the purpose of watching summer sunsets over the lake with a drink resting on the arm. (Morning coffee and a newspaper worked wonderfully as well.) Hastily patented in 1905 by Lee’s friend and carpenter, Harry Bunnell, the chair was named the Westport Plank Chair and provided winter work for Bunnell’s company. The chairs sold well and Bunnell went on to manufacture the chairs for resale and continued to do so for more than 20 years.
The chair has an early modern simplicity and a rustic and craftsman appearance that is still viable today more than 100 years later. As a show of respect to Lee’s chair that really started a higher level of outdoor comfort and design, and now more than 10 years into Loll, we felt it was time to honor Lee’s chair with a Loll version that stays true to the original. Using recycled plastic instead of knot free clear wood, and incorporating our lock block hidden fastening system, we put forth our contribution to this iconic outdoor chair. Perhaps for the first time in the chairs history we also added a bottle opener under the right arm to better fit its purpose. As we researched and studied and prototyped this chair we discovered so many parallels between its history and our company that it almost seems like Thomas Lee actually created a gift that keeps giving. We hope to continue that by sharing the Loll Westport Chair for another 100 years.