Adirondack chairs, as we commonly consider them are classic fixtures of deck, beach, or other summertime outdoor seating. They also pretty universally suck. Don't get me wrong, the design has some good things going for it. They have a pleasing curve across the top; they lend themselves to painting, staining, or clear coating to match your personal taste. The wide arm rests make a great resting spot for your summery hootch of choice. They have a rugged, durable, character that makes them just fit on a deck or dock by the bay.
Really they only have one problem, but in the art of chairmaking it is the most important characteristic (assuming, of course that you have any intention of actually sitting in the chair): They're uncomfortable. The issue is that the seat angles up, making you want to lean back, and the chair back angles back for you to recline against. The seat angle makes it uncomfortable to sit forward, and the chair back angle is too often too much of recline.
Solution: Reduce the chair back angle. Also, build eight in one big Chairapalooza.
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has gotten a pretty hard push on social media lately (Seriously). I was making a frame for someone's college diploma recently, and she wanted dark wood but did not seem too thrilled with walnut. To achieve the desired aesthetic I could have held true to my tendency not to use stain and built the frame out of something like ebony, but that would have been ridiculously expensive (and really, kind of wasteful; that's not what ebony should be used for). This scenario is ideal for using a stain to darken a cheaper, lighter-colored, wood.